Humanity's Strongest Family
by VivaDeAsap
Summary: In this Modern AU, Join Levi and Mikasa Ackerman as they try to raise their children when their once peaceful city becomes infested with gigantic humanoid beasts known as titans. Will the Ackerman Family keep it together, or will their love be devoured by the stress inducing panic. Read and find out. P.S: Cover Art isn't mine all credit goes to the incredible artist. (UPDATED)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys. It's me and I'm back with Humanity's Strongest Family. Those that read this story before, are aware of the fact that I had to rework this and I feel I'm satisfied. Now, I'm not saying that there are a lot of severe changes. A lot of things remain identical to the original so you won't be thrown too off. Anyway, I hope you're still with me. Enjoy.**

**Oh P.S this is a Modern AU**

The sound of gun fire was all that could be heard on an arid, bare land. The sun was shining high in the sky as a squad of soldiers navigated the battlefield. "Keep yourselves alert at all costs! We can't afford to lose any more people to those dipshits!" their captain barked as they advanced towards their goal. They were on the losing side of the war they were locked in and were running low on men.

"Captain! the enemy is preparing to fire!" one of the soldiers shouted while pointing at enemy soldiers readying themselves. They were more in number and had sufficient resources.

"Take cover behind the boulder" the captain ordered before they dashed towards the large rock as the enemy began to fire. Al the squad could hear was the sound of the bullets hitting the rock. Each of them silently prayed that the boulder would last.

The guns silenced as the enemy was beginning to reload. The Captain decided to check on his troops, "Did everyone make it?" he asked while glancing at his squad members. Everyone was intact.

"Alright soldiers! Prepare to fire," the captain said as the soldiers readied themselves. Each of them clenched their guns anxiously. This was a moment that was crucial to their survival and if they could eliminate their opponents, they would secure a victory.

The sound of the enemy fire was heard again before they stopped to reload. The Captain knew this was their opportunity, "Fire!" he ordered before his squad began to fire. The enemy forces were taken down by the onslaught.

The captain put his gun away and peeked. Every one of the opposing force's soldiers in the area was down, "Great job. The sons of bitches are dead," he said before his squad members rushed over to the corpses, "what are you doing?"

"We're just looting them. We're low on resources," one of his members explained as they searched the corpses. They happened to find ammo and other items that would prove useful.

The captain sighed as he leaned against the rock watching his comrades. He wasn't one that believed in looting and thus he preferred to stand back and watch. He closed his eyes as he found this to be an opportunity to rest for a bit before they advanced. Suddenly, he felt vibrations in the ground.

"What is that rumbling?" one of the squad members asked as they all glanced around.

"I bet those are just land mines going off," the other one said as he reloaded.

The soldiers continued to theorize as the captain watched them. Though he wasn't sure what could've been happening, he couldn't help but get concerned as the vibrations didn't seem to cease. In fact, they got fiercer. Suddenly, one of the soldiers shouted, "What the hell is that?"

Everyone faced the direction in which the soldier pointed and spotted a figure in the distance. "What is that?" the soldiers said before pulling out their binoculars. In the distance was a trail of dust that was made by a large humanoid figure that was approaching them quickly with a strut. Confused, the soldier turned to his fellow soldiers and they all shared a look.

"What's going on over there?" the captain asked as he noticed his soldiers staring ahead of them. Suddenly they all got terrified looks and pulled out their guns, firing continuously.

"It's a monster. Retreat!" one of them shouted but before they could escape, the monster caught two of them and began to feast on them as they screamed for help. The remaining soldier tried his best to shoot at the beast but his bullets didn't even seem to faze the monster as it swallowed the two. It then grabbed the soldier and snapped him into half before devouring him.

The captain watched in horror as he locked eyes with the grinning beast. Its appearance was that of a deformed human being with a large head and eyes. it opened its mouth and drool flowed to the ground before it licked its lips at the captain.

The captain held onto his rifle and aimed it at the monster, "w-whatever you are… s-stay back!" he ordered before the monster lunged at him. He did his best to shoot at it but like his comrade, the bullets had no effect. He dropped his gun and was about to run off when the monster grabbed him and lifted him to eye level.

"P-Please I have a family!" the captain begged. He wasn't one to beg but in a situation like this, he had no chances of defeating the strange monster. The monster held him over it's open mouth, "don't eat me!" the monster then dropped him into its mouth.

* * *

"Huh!" Levi gasped as he sat up from his bed. His heart pounded so hard that it felt as though it would just pop out of his chest. He then let out a sigh as he tried to calm down. It was all just a dream but it felt too realistic, but then, didn't all dreams feel like that?

"Another nightmare?" a female voice asked from beside him. He turned and locked eyes with his wife's silver eyes looking at him with concern. Her pink lips had a slight frown probably because she was worried.

"Yes," Levi responded before stroking her black hair, "but don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"I really think you should go for therapy. Your dreams are only getting worse," she started, causing Levi to chuckle at her.

"Listen, Mikasa. I don't need any therapy," he explained while calming down. "These dreams just come about with being a war veteran. It's totally normal."

"We left the military together and yet you're the only one that has these dreams," she complained before sighing, "Maybe if you had tried to get something to do to keep yourself busy like finding another job, you wouldn't have to be struggling to sleep like this."

"Mikasa, I am very okay with being a stay at home dad and looking after the house. There's no maid that can clean better than me and look after the kids like I can," he said proudly before looking back at her, "you just worry too much. What time is it anyway?"

"It's 6AM," Mikasa responded before sitting up, "I need to get ready for work."

"And I need to get breakfast ready," Levi said as they both got off of the bed. Mikasa walked into the bathroom while her husband made his way to the kitchen.

Their house was quite well furnished as it was on the more expensive side of the scale. It cost a lot but it did prove to be ideal for raising their children.

The Veteran walked down the staircase as he approached his destination. The floor was mostly marble and there was a lot of antique décor around the house.

He waked into the kitchen. It had an island design with some of the best appliances on the market. Levi leaned against the smooth counter to decide what he would cook. In a lot homes, cooking is the woman's job but in the Ackerman house, most of the "female responsibilities" were taken by Levi and he didn't really care that most men made fun of him for it. Especially since he was shorter than his wife.

"I'll just do some bacon and eggs," he decided before he began to work on serving his family.

About an hour past and his family had come down for breakfast. "Wow daddy, this is good!" their two-year old daughter, Marie, complimented as she munched on her breakfast. She looked like her mother with longer black hair and the same pink lips and eyes. A few crumbs fell onto her shirt, prompting her father to clean her up.

"Let's not get dirty, kiddo," he said while trying his best to get the crumbs off of her. He loved his kids and therefore made it his goal to make sure that they were clean at all times.

"I really hope none of the children develop your cleaning OCD," Mikasa said to her husband as she ate her meal. She then gave him a playful smile, "this is still good-Though, I doubt you'll ever be better than me."

"Heh, just you wait," he responded before turning to eat his food. Despite spending a lot of time working, Mikasa still proved to be superior in the kitchen and that was one of many activities the Ackerman couple competed in.

"You stay out of my plate!" one of their twin sons said to his twin brother while guarding his plate. It seemed his brother had finished his bacon and was trying to get a hold of his.

"Just give me one!" the other, responded while trying to grab a strip. They continued to bicker before they got into a full out fight.

"Hey you two, stop fighting," Mikasa said with a parental tone as the two boys stopped to fight and sulked while facing away from each other. These boys looked just like their mother too with her hair, eyes and lips being reminiscent of hers. Both boys had bowl cuts and were dressed in the standard black school uniform.

The twins were often in sync and agreed on most occasions, however, they still had a terrible tendency to bicker with one another and it often ended with a fight.

"Dean," Mikasa started, addressing the slightly larger twin.

"Yes," he responded, raising his silver eyes to meet his mother's.

"What did I tell you about forcing yourself on others?" Mikasa asked as all eyes were focused on the boy.

"You said it was rude and that I should ask," he muttered.

"Good, now apologize to your brother."

"I'm not apologizing to him," Dean scoffed, passing his brother a dirty look.

"Dean, if you don't fucking apologize to Daniel then I swear you'll be grounded for three whole months. And don't even ask me about how you'll use the bathroom," Levi threatened in his usual low tone. Dean was about to retort but shrunk in fear when he looked at his father scowling at him.

"I-I'm sorry Daniel," Dean said to his brother before going back to finishing his meal. His twin brother silently chuckled at his brother's shame.

"Levi, language," Mikasa corrected, annoyed by her husband's use of bad language in front of the children. She did, however, appreciate how much time he spent looking after them. It wasn't easy for a mom to spend so much time away from her kids but knowing her husband was there for them kept her positive.

Levi then sighed before apologizing, "sorry honey." He did have a swearing problem that stemmed from way before they even got married. He then looked at the twins with a small smile, "hey guys, maybe after school we can play catch outside." His suggestion made the boys nod furiously in excitement.

"Say Levi," Mikasa started, catching his attention, "I wonder why Junior's taken such a long time to get up today."

Suddenly, the sound of rushed footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs from the next room.

A boy staggered into the room, panting as he dropped his bag onto the floor and slowly walked and took a seat at the table.

"Junior, what took you so long, today?" Mikasa asked their eldest child.

The boy raised his blue eyes to meet his mother's silver ones. He then shook his head, gathering his thoughts as he ran his hand through his jet black hair, which was styled into a quiff. "Oh, I participated in a FIFA tournament and sort of lost track of time," he started in his semi deep voice, "I guess I overslept."

"You should really stop that," Mikasa started while examining him, "you get very little sleep these days and it isn't heathy for you. You've already grown into a big boy, I mean, you're even taller than your father and I don't want sleep deprivation to stop you from getting any taller," she pointed out as Levi rolled his eyes in the background, "If you keep this up, you'll develop bags under your eyes and then you'll end up looking even more like you father and trust me, you don't want that," she said, whispering the last part.

"Heh, okay mom," Junior chuckled before he started to dig into his meal.

"So…" Mikasa tried to start another conversation, "what plans do you have for today?"

"Oh, I was just planning on attending the science club meeting after class before heading out to the park for some LARPING," he said proudly. Despite looking like his father, he was more on the brains than brawn side.

"That sounds… fun," Mikasa tried to say with enthusiasm in hopes that her son would be happy.

"Tch!" Levi scoffed, catching everyone's attention, "you should've just joined Martial Arts or Football or something real. Not science club or whatever the hell LARPING is." He normally bashed his son for his decisions but then, he was Levi.

"Levi," Mikasa started when she noticed her son's gaze drop, "our son is… gifted-intellectually. That's why he's better off in the more academic clubs."

"Don't encourage him," her husband responded while sipping his tea with his unique style. He hadn't noticed that the younger children were secretly imitating him, "keep that up or you'll raise a pathetic loser that still lives with his parent after college."

Before Mikasa could respond, the sound of a school bus honking could be heard from outside, "bye mom and dad!" the twins said as they ran outside, grabbing their bags on their way out.

Mikasa watched as Junior sighed before getting up. He had a scowl that was reminiscent of his father's in his current emotional state. He then let out a quiet 'bye mom' before walking out.

"Levi, why do you always bash him like that?" she asked while shooting a glare at him. He didn't even bother to respond to her question as he gathered the plates to put them in the dishwasher. She then proceeded to ask again, "Levi, you're only quiet because you know I'm right."

"I just don't get that kid," Levi finally responded as he started to wipe the surfaces. "I don't understand why the only child that looks like me and has my exact name is ironically my polar opposite." He then sighed before attending to the sink.

Mikasa then felt a wave of compassion pass through him. She knew that her husband was a normally grouchy person but he still had a soft side. She opened her mouth but before her voice could escape her mouth, her phone buzzed. She checked the clock and it was time for her to leave, "I'm leaving now," she said before walking up to him and kissing his cheek. She then kissed Marie's forehead before walking, "bye!"

"Bye," both Levi and their daughter responded as she closed the door behind them.

Levi then smiled before picking up his only daughter, "how about I give bath and let you watch TV while I bathe and clean the house?" he asked as the little girl nodded excitedly, "after that, you and I can go to the park."

* * *

Mikasa hummed along to the radio in the police cruiser she always drove to work. After leaving the military, she decided to join the police force as a patrol officer. If she wanted, she would have gotten a higher post but something about driving around with her partner was refreshing for her.

Her car came to a stop outside the police station. She stepped out of the vehicle and locked it before walking into the building. The smell of coffee was the first thing that caught her nose as she walked into the generic offices to check in. she walked through the room, occasionally passing a good morning here and there.

As soon as she checked in, she decided to check on one of her old friends, who was busy at his desk. She walked up to the blonde male and decided to let out a greeting, "Hey Armin."

Armin looked away from his screen and smiled at the woman before him, "Hey Mikasa, how's the morning treating you?" he asked before sipping his coffee, "and how's the family."

"Oh, the morning's great and the family's the same as usual," she sighed as she said this. She really loved her family but they had their moments.

"I don't know how you do it, Mikasa," Armin said, "you have four kids and yet you still look as pretty as you were when you were single. What is your secret? Maybe I might let my future wife in on it," he chuckled.

"I just eat healthy and work out regularly," she responded before her eyes began to wander around looking for a particular brunette. He was her partner and she needed him so they could get patrolling.

Armin then realised what, or rather, who she was looking for. He then sighed before giving smiling at her, "He hasn't yet arrived."

And as if on cue, the sound of fast moving footsteps and apologetic shouts could be heard as the brunette rushed to check in. He gave a sigh as he checked in. he then glanced and waved at his comrades before walking over to them, "Man, I overslept," he groaned.

"Of course you did, Eren," Armin responded before turning back to his computer, "I have to get back to work, so I'll see you guys later."

"Maybe you shouldn't be spending all night playing videogames, you'd be early for once," Mikasa commented, "I wonder how Historia handles you."

"Jeez…you sound like mom. Let's go," Eren said before dragging Mikasa outside the building and towards the cruiser. They stopped and Eren waited for Mikasa's response and as usual, she was lost in thought, "Am I driving or what?"

"Oh, right," Mikasa said before opening the vehicle and hopping into the driver's seat with Eren in the passenger seat. She turned the key and the engine hummed to life. The radio then went on, "There is a report about a 501 not so far from your unit—over."

"We'll get there as soon as possible—over," Eren said before looking at Mikasa and both nodding. Their day had just begun.

* * *

"I spy with my little eye… something green," Marie said as she walked down the sidewalk while holding her father's hand. She was in a little pink sun dress and white sandals. They were on their way to the park and decided to play a little 'I Spy'

Levi knew exactly what she was talking about but decided to play dumb, "is it… the trees?" he asked as she shook her head. "Is it daddy's shirt?" he asked as he wore a dark green shirt over black jeans and back shoes. Once again, the little girl shook her head. "Is it… that flower shop?" he asked while pointing at said shop. The younger girl grunted in annoyance while shaking her head.

"No daddy, it's the grass," she said before sighing and face-palming, "why am I the smart one here?" she dramatically asked as her father smiled down at her. Eventually, they had reached the park and she made a run for the playground.

Levi grunted before stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking towards one of the benches near the playground. He was just going to watch her play while he enjoyed the outdoors. As he approached it, he saw a familiar person seated on the bench. He was neatly dressed in a blue shirt and khaki pants with well combed blonde hair. His eyes were fixated on a book he was reading.

"Commander Erwin. I didn't expect to see you in town," Levi said as he caught the man's attention. The blonde man smiled before getting up and sharing a salute with him. They then both sat down.

"Captain Levi, it sure has been a while," he said as he rested the book on his lap. He then glanced at the children playing, "I take it you're out here with your little daughter?"

The shorter man nodded in response before speaking, "aren't you supposed to be away at war or something? You're a Commander."

"Ever since Marie and I divorced, she has been giving me hell about our daughter," he started before sighing, "She's always telling me that I'm being a deadbeat for always being away and threatened to get orders preventing me from seeing her again so I decided to take leave to spend time with her for a few months."

"Why did that bitch make a big deal about you rarely being available?" Levi asked in annoyance at how inconsiderate man-kind could be, "doesn't she know you're a fucking soldier?" he then crossed his arms and closed his eyes, "Tch! Such people make me want to punch them."

"Calm down, Levi," Erwin said while trying to calm his long-time comrade down. He, like other people knew that being with him was no walk in the park but he was one of the few that learnt to live with it, "I'm actually glad I took this break because she seems very happy since she started staying with me. Heck, she's even enjoying the outdoors," he said while pointing at a blonde, teenage girl seated on the grass sketching on her sketch pad.

"Shouldn't she be at school?" Levi asked while looking at the girl. She recognised her as one of Junior's classmates and found it odd that she was in the park instead of learning.

"She refused to go today," Erwin explained, "she said something about bullies."

"Why don't you try to step in?"

"I tried but she begged me not to do anything and that she would be fine," Erwin said before looking a Levi, "I was thinking maybe your son could befriend her and maybe protect her from bullies. He is an Ackerman after all."

Levi then snorted, "that nerdy-ass brat, couldn't even fight his way out of a paper bag. I doubt he would help your daughter." He then remembered, "Last time I checked, she's a pretty tough girl. Why would she be bullied?"

"Irene can sometimes be shy and she tells me that her eyebrows are a target for bullies. So she usually keeps to herself at school," Erwin explained before furrowing his own brows, "my eyebrows aren't funny looking are they?"

"I won't answer your question."

"Fine then," Erwin sighed before changing the person of discussion, "back to your son, don't under-estimate him. He just hasn't unlocked that mysterious power your family has that makes you so tough."

"As long as he keeps on LARP-whatever, there's no way he'll get far," Mr. Ackerman declared confidently before remembering, "Oh, Erwin, I had a monster dream again."

The blonde man's eyebrows raised with interest as he looked at his comrade, "Really?"

"Yep," he nodded calmly, "I was leading a squad through a battle and once the fight was over, a monster came and devoured all of us."

Erwin placed his thumb and index finger under his chin before he began to contemplate, "what if these aren't just dreams but visions of a future?" he asked as the shorter man looked at him in disbelief.

"Are you fucking serious?" Levi asked in disbelief that the man he held respect for would think in those lines, "did that idiot, Hange, pollute your mind?"

"Actually, I believe her theories aren't always wrong. I believe these monsters, or as we of the fort call them, titans, exist," Erwin said calmly, "She has been studying the possibility of titan existence and currently has hold of some incriminating evidence back at the fort."

Levi looked at the blonde in disbelief. How could someone as smart as Erwin believe in something so unrealistic, "Erwin, has your ex-wife been poisoning you or something?" he asked, "because you sound like a total idiot. Hange is conspiracy theorist that lives with a whole lot of other theorists."

Erwin only shook his head, "Levi, I think you should visit me at the fort and then I can show you what I'm talking about."

"I'm not showing my face at this 'fort' shit you speak of. There's no way a bunch of nightmares could be true," he scoffed before glancing back at his daughter who giggled as she played with some other children, "I'm a much happier man with my family and I'm not going to let some stupid conspiracy make me paranoid."

"Okay Levi," Erwin said before standing and dusting himself off, "I'm leaving. I need to order takeout for Irene and I," he said before calling out to his daughter, "Irene! It's time to go." The blonde girl closed her sketchbook and jogged over to her father. She looked much like him as she had his eyes and signature eyebrows. Erwin and his daughter dismissed themselves before leaving the veteran on his own.

Levi looked back at his daughter. She looked so happy out there. Her smile always brought so much warmth to his cold personality. All he ever wanted was to live the rest of his life happily ever after, watching all of his kids grow up and explore the world. He didn't care that his leg injury put him out of commission, that wasn't what mattered.

He closed his eyes and began to day-dream, imagining how his mother would react if she could see him now. "I wish you were here to see this," he muttered to himself. It was peaceful until the ground started to vibrate. He opened his eyes and brushed it off as an illusion. The ground vibrated again and he realised he wasn't dreaming when he noticed other people looking around.

The sound of screaming could be heard in the distance as the vibrations intensified and a tall figure approached the park. Levi couldn't believe it. his dream was coming true. The figure that turned out to have a humanoid form like the one in his dream. It stood taller than most buildings.

The figure let out a piercing shriek as it barred its teeth and looked at the park goers hungrily. Levi felt his heart drop as he stared at it in horror. He then remembered his daughter and quickly leapt into action.

As the monster started to advance at people, Levi managed to snatch his daughter away from the swing set, "daddy, what is that?" she asked as she looked at the monster over his shoulder.

"I don't know kiddo," he responded as he made his way over to the side walk. His only goal was to get his family to safety. The younger continued to bombard him with questions before she went silent all of a sudden her body had stiffened and her heart pounded, "Marie, is everything alright?" He asked in hopes that she was alright but when he got no response he began to worry.

* * *

"You still have that old thing?" Eren asked while looking at his partner with an amused look.

Mikasa smiled as she clutched the red scarf wrapped around her neck. She pulled it upwards to hide the small blush that was forming on her cheeks, "how could I get rid of something that means so much to me?"

"Heh, typical Mikasa," he chuckled before letting out a depressed sigh, "Mikasa, I have something to tell you." He looked depressed as though he was bothered for years. Mikasa was raised by his parents so they were practically like siblings at this point.

"What is it, Eren?" she asked before briefly glancing at him. She had to keep her eyes on the road.

"Historia and I might get divorced," he said, his voice sounded bitter and angry but all his other features showed sadness.

"What? Why?" she asked with concern for her dear friend evident in her voice. Eren and Historia only recently got married and their relationship had already started crumbling.

"We've been fighting a lot lately and her ex-girlfriend, Ymir, has been feeding her mind with all sorts of bullshit," he complained before clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, "Ymir's been trying to end us ever since the wedding. I don't get why she can't just accept that they're over."

"Hey Eren, why don't you end your shift early today," Mikasa suggested as she felt he needed a break.

"No, that wouldn't be fair on your behalf."

"It wouldn't be fair on your behalf because you'd be forced to work under stress," she then rested a hand on his shoulder, "Eren, you should really get home and rest. I'll pass by your place tonight so we can talk about things. You know me very well; I can handle this on my own."

Eren sat in silence as though making a very tough decision. He then sighed before nodding, "okay, you can just drop me off here," he said as he pointed at a nearby fast food joint. He always like to drown his sadness with a good meal, "I'll catch a cab later."

Mikasa slowed down the vehicle and let her partner out. She decided it was for the best he rested up. They waved each other off and she began to drive off again. As soon as she hit the road, the radio went off, "All units are expected to go to the park. There are reports of a…giant—monster," the person said with doubt.

Mikasa turned on the siren and began to make her way towards the park. A giant monster, that didn't make any sense. She then remembered that Levi often took Marie to the park. She hoped they were fine.

The car sped through traffic alongside other cruisers. As she got closer, she could feel vibrations in the ground. It didn't feel like any tremor she'd experienced. Eventually, she arrived at the park and saw a large humanoid figure being attacked by the police. They shot at it continuously but to no avail. The monster only took minimal damage and only roared before grabbing an officer and swallowing him.

Mikasa felt herself freeze in her seat. She didn't know why she failed to leave the car. Perhaps it was fear but she has never been petrified before. She continued to watch in horror as the cops were devoured one by one. They didn't stand a chance. Suddenly, the supervising officer yelled, "All of you! Retreat! Make sure your loved ones are safe before it catches you!" he was then swallowed by the beast.

Mikasa gasped before ramming the accelerator with her foot and the car sped off. She had to get home. That was all that mattered at this point. Other police cars were also trying to leave the area and there was a huge traffic jam. Mikasa honked her horn impatiently, this was not looking good.

The sound of the monster's roar could be heard as it's footsteps approached the road. Mikasa couldn't wait any longer so she stepped out of her car and began to make a run for it.

She swiftly dashed through the crowd of people. Hopping over some of them and taking a few detours. She had to get home.

Eventually, she ran into her neighbourhood and saw her house not too far from her. She could hear the noise coming from town and as a police officer, it hurt her that she was afraid. Who came into her mind next was Eren. She hoped he arrived home safely.

She ran into her house her house and slammed the door behind her. All she wanted was to see if her family was alright, "Is everyone home?" she asked as she panted heavily. Her eyes darted around as she heard the echo but no response. Her heart began to pound as she started to walk, "Kids!"

"Mom," the twins said before running towards her and hugging her.

"I'm glad you're alright," Mikasa sobbed while hugging them tightly. She then asked, "where's everyone else?"

"Dad and Junior are boarding up the windows," Daniel explained while Dean wiped her eyes, "Marie is napping in her room."

"Oh thank goodness," Mikasa sighed before releasing her children from hug. She then thought about something, "why don't you two go help your father and brother while I unwind a bit?"

The twins nodded before running off, leaving Mikasa to plop onto the couch. She turned on the TV and could see that there was a news broadcast on the same issue.

"Could this be some sort of apocalypse?" the reporter asked.

"I'm glad you made in one piece," Levi's voice caught her attention as he took a seat next to her on the couch.

Mikasa couldn't help but throw herself at him for a hug. "You too," she responded as they embraced with her resting her chin on his shoulder and vice-versa, "I was praying none of you got eaten by the monster."

Levi sighed as he rubbed her back, "actually Mikasa, there's something I need to tell you about that monster."

"What is it?"

"The nightmares I've been having all feature the same type of monster you saw," Levi explained, "when I told Erwin about it, he suggested it was prophetic or some shit like that but I just blew him off as being a believer of conspiracy."

"And your dreams did turn out to be prophetic," she said before pulling out of the hug to look at him, "but then, where did it come from?"

"One can only wonder at this point," Levi responded before saying, "what we can do for now is prepare the house. We don't know how long we'll be here but for the meantime, let's board up the house."

As soon as he finished speaking, his phone rang. They shared a look before he looked at the caller and found that it was Erwin. He then answered and put it to his ear.

**Levi: Erwin?**

**Erwin: Levi, I bet you don't think I'm crazy now, do you?**

**Levi: Is this why you called me? To prove how wrong I am? Well whoopty fuckin' do! Erwin, you were right.**

**Erwin: Calm down Levi… that isn't why I called.**

**Levi: what do you want?**

**Erwin: I need you to come over to the fort. There you and your family can be safe while we try to figure out the situation.**

**Levi: …fine, I'll think about it.**

**Erwin: just make the right choice.**

**Levi: Whatever, Commander.**

Levi hung up the phone and turned to face his wife who looked at him with an amused face, "what?"

"You have the worst phone etiquette ever," she chucked before saying, "what's the matter anyway?"

"Erwin suggested we all go to the fort for shelter."

"Fort?" Mikasa asked in wonder. She had never heard of any nearby forts.

"There's a large fort on the outskirts of town," Levi explained, "truth is, these monsters or rather 'titans' as they're also called have been a belief of a group of individuals who all reside within said fort. It's been so prepared that it even has some impenetrable wall guarding it."

"Wow, they prepared for this day," Mikasa said as she leaned against his chest, "what do you think?"

"I don't think it's necessary for us. I bet the only people we'll meet are a bunch of weirdos. I don't want to go," he declared while stroking her hair, "we can make it out on our own."

"Maybe we should go," Mikasa said from her position, "even if you don't like the idea, I feel we should go so we're sure there's a chance of the kids being safe."

Levi thought for a moment. He didn't want to live in some fort with a bunch of strangers but then, Mikasa was right. Their kids' safety was what mattered the most, "fine, we'll go."

Mikasa smiled when he made his decision, "when are we going then?"

"I don't know…" he started but then he felt the ground vibrate. He shared a horrified glance with his wife. The beast must have been close by. They then stood from their seat, "let's get the kids. We're leaving right now."

**Okay guys, though the changes are minimal, I'm officially comfortable with this and I hope you guys are still enjoying this. Anyway, stay tuned.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I'm back with the second chapter of Humanity's Strongest Family and I hope you enjoyed the edited first chapter. Anyway, let's get back into it.**

"Boys, come on!" Levi yelled as he stood by the door. The monster had wandered right into their neighbourhood and it was time for them to leave.

The boys came rushing downstairs in a stumbling mess as they couldn't help but bump into each other on the way down. They walked out the door and rushed over to the silver Ford Ranger where their mother and younger sister waited.

"Buckle up guys," Mikasa said as they buckled up. She still had to make sure car safety procedures were followed. Suddenly, Junior cursed, "what's wrong?" she asked as she noticed him unbuckling his seat belt.

"I forgot my laptop," he said as he opened the door.

"Junior wait, is it really that necessary?" she asked as they were running out of time.

"Don't worry mom. I'll be back in a jiffy," he said before stepping out of the car and jogging back to the entrance where he was stopped by his father.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Levi asked while blocking his son's path.

"I just need to get my laptop," Junior said while trying to walk past him but Levi still blocked him.

"Tch! You, idiot. there's no time for that you should've taken it when you took your clothes," Levi growled in annoyance why pushing him back, "get back to the car."

"But dad, all my important stuff is on there," he said while trying to push past him again but was blocked. Despite being shorter, Levi was still superior in terms of strength.

"Guys, hurry up!" Mikasa popped her head out of the car window.

"There's no way I'm going to let you delay us because of some stupid video game," Levi said, "when we get where we're going, you'll be better off without your laptop so you can finally make some real friends. Now let's go!"

"But dad…" he said before he noticed his father glaring at him. His father was quite an adamant person and he knew he wouldn't change his mind. He then grunted before running towards the vehicle and sat inside.

"Did you manage to get it?" Mikasa asked her son who only shook his head. She then sighed before putting her hand on his knee, "Dad, refused to let you?"

"Yes," Junior responded before the driver's door opened and Levi got in.

"Everyone get ready, this might be a bumpy ride," Levi said before starting the engine and hitting the accelerator.

The Ford drove down the streets, on its way to their destination, "You know where the place is?" Mikasa asked as he drove. He nodded in response before pointing at the GPS, "of course…" she then looked at her daughter who had been seated quietly. She had this traumatised look on her face and it started to worry her, "sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked but the little girl didn't answer.

Levi then glanced at them for a moment, "when I was trying to leave the park with her, she got stiff all of a sudden," he explained, "I think she saw something because when I tried to talk to her at home, she was just nervously shaking while looking around so I had to put her to sleep."

Mikasa felt her heart almost break when she realised how traumatised her baby girl probably was. All she could do was hold her tight and kiss her fore head.

"Hey," Daniel started, "where are we going?"

"Somewhere you'll be safer," Levi responded as he drove.

The car sped as the sound of giant footsteps grew louder. Suddenly a shriek was heard and when everyone in the Ackerman vehicle looked, they saw another humanoid figure. This was one was slightly larger than the other one and had blonde hair unlike the other's brown hair. The figure noticed the vehicle and began to walk towards it, sporting a huge grin.

"Shit! It can see us," Levi said before increasing the speed and jetting across the road. The beast was gaining on them.

Marie started to cry as her mother stroked her, trying to calm her down. The twins started panicking as they held each other closely. Junior was just in his own world.

Levi could sense the fear of everyone in the car and this forced him to get determined. He wasn't going to let his family get eaten like everyone else. He was going to make sure they get to see many more years to come. The only thing that mattered to him was protecting every one of them.

He then took a sharp right and sped down the road, his only goal being the fort. Suddenly, the first monster hopped in front of them. "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!" Levi grunted before slamming the accelerator harder.

"Levi, what are you doing?" Mikasa asked as they were headed right for the beast that started to reach out for them. Was he planning on killing them all?

The Ford, sped towards the monster with everyone nervously watching. Fortunately, the vehicle managed to knock the monster's hand away and sped in between its legs.

"Whoa…" the twins said in unison and awe. While their brother bitterly mumbled to himself about his laptop.

The monster had a tough time turning around but when it did, it started running after the car. Levi glanced in his rear view mirror and saw the beast speeding towards them. He grunted before increasing his speed. He was driving right towards a construction site. He swayed past many vehicles and the monster still set its eyes for his family.

"Levi, what are you doing?" Mikasa asked in worry as he was going too fast. She held onto her daughter tightly.

"Remembering the physics I learnt from my shitty high school," he grunted as the vehicle moved towards the site. Once he was a few metres away, he took a sharp left. Normally a car would flip over after turning so sharply at high speed but Levi never ceased to shock people when the car smoothly turned and sped in the new direction.

Due to momentum, the titan crashed into the site and the incomplete building crumbled all over it, immobilizing it.

"That was fucking awesome!" the twins shouted in excitement.

Mikasa felt her motherly instinct step in and she snapped, "boys, you can't say bad words like that!" the boys then quieted down before Dean spoke.

"But daddy talks like that," he pointed out, "so why can't we?"

Mikasa shifted her gaze over to her husband who was trying his best not to smirk. He was failing miserably, "what have I told you about cursing in front of the children?"

Her husband only chuckled as he kept his eyes on the road, "We'll talk later, I'm trying to keep my eyes on the road," he said before glancing at her.

Mikasa only sighed as she leaned back into the chair. She sure did have one unique family.

The car continued to speed down the roads until the larger monster's foot stepped onto the road. "Ugh, doesn't this guy know that jay walking is illegal?" Levi groaned as the twins chuckled and Mikasa rolled her eyes.

"Wow, now you're making jokes?" she asked as the car went off road and they were driving on some grass.

Levi sped over the grassy meadows as they left the city. With the monster terrorising it. They had finally escaped its clutches and were on their way to seek refuge. In the distance, a large wall started to come into view. They arrived.

Everyone in the car went silent as they looked at the wall getting bigger. It was massive; about 50 metres. They drove towards a gate where two guards stood, dressed in black uniforms with grey utility vests. On their waists they had two large cases holding what appeared to be swords and gas canisters accompanying them.

The guards walked over and peeked into the car, "what do you want?" one of them asked while looking at everyone in the vehicle.

"What do you…" Levi was about to insult him before his wife covered his mouth. He was about to remove it but stayed silent when she glared at him.

"Sorry sir, we just came here for refuge. Our town is being destroyed by monsters," she explained as before the guard inspected the vehicle and waved at his colleague to open the gates. He then nodded the vehicle before it drove in. "you don't always have to be mean; you know?"

Levi only grunted as the vehicle entered. The interior looked a lot like a small town with some shops here and there. A few cars moving around the streets as some people walked around.

They could also spot a few crop fields where farmers worked and a few animals flocked. Several children ran around playing with each other and running away from some of the guards. The place looked like your regular semi-rural town with a few shops and traders all over the place where people walked about minding their business.

This was going to be their new home from now on. All the memories they had in their home in the city were left behind for this little town.

The vehicle came to a stop outside a building labelled city hall. The family stepped out of the car.

"Hey dad," Dean was the first to speak, "can Danny and I go play? We won't go too far." They had caught sight of the group of children playing in the nearby park.

Levi thought about it for a moment before nodding and the boys jetted off. They then proceeded to enter the building where they were met with a loud greeting.

"Well if it ain't old Levi Ackerman!" a familiar female voice called.

**Hey guys, that was chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it and I'd like to know what you guys think. **

**Anyways… bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Welcome back to HSF. I hope you're enjoying yourselves so far. I'd like to know if I've introduced the characters well. By the way, instead of a normal salute, characters return the anime salute. Anyways, on with the story.**

"Hange Zoe," Levi said as the woman rushed over and hugged him. He couldn't help but groan because of how bad she smelt to him. She then pulled out of the hug and looked at Mikasa, Junior, and Marie.

"Mikasa Ackerman in the flesh," Hange greeted while saluting her. Mikasa couldn't return it because she had Marie in her hands but she still regarded her with a smile. "I was once a soldier like you and I was used together with Levi but I decided to quit in order to pursue science." She then looked at the children, "and this must be the new Levi Squad."

Hange sure was quite the eccentric person. Judging by the way she closely examined them. She then spoke up, "you know, judging by how much power you both have, I expected you to have like ten kids by now."

"Tch! There's actually two more of them," Levi scoffed before grabbing Hange by the collar, "Erwin advised me to come here to settle after this crazy monster shit happened. Where is he?" Hange had known Levi from the beginning and knew how aggressive he could be but that never frightened her.

Hange escaped his grasp and dusted herself off. She was in a black long-sleeved crew-neck under a grey utility vest and grey camouflage pants. On her waist were the same contraptions much like the guards except she had a pair of visors on face. "Commander Erwin is in his office. I can take you to him," she offered before looking at their son, "meanwhile, he can wait in the nearby cafeteria."

The couple nodded before their son understood and walked off. They then proceeded to follow Hange deeper into the building. It had the setup of a regular city hall with a bunch of offices and people moving up and about with piles of paper.

Eventually, they stopped outside a door that read, "Commander Erwin" Hange then knocked a few times before a voice called from the inside signalling them to enter. Hange opened the door to reveal the blonde gentlemen seated at a desk. He then stood to greet them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman," Erwin said as he offered them a seat which they took. Hange then went to lean against the wall. "I'm glad you could make it," Erwin said calmly.

"Yeah, it was a crazy drive but we're still kicking," Levi said before he noticed, "I'm guessing you're the top dog around here, judging by the fact that you have your own office."

"Not exactly. The town has official leaders but I still am a military official," he explained before interlocking his fingers and starting, "you finally saw them with your own eyes."

"Yeah, those monsters almost killed us on our way here," Levi commented. With a scowl, "can't believe you were right."

Hange was the next to speak, "Those creatures aren't monsters," she said with sympathy, "they're just large human-looking creatures that don't even think as far as I know…for now. I prefer to call them… titans—yeah, that's a suitable name."

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes before looking back at Erwin, "so when do we get our own place so we can settle down already?" he asked, hoping they could go back to their normal lives.

Erwin then shook his head, "actually there's room for you in the barracks." He looked at the shorter man who glared back at him.

"I'm done with military work," Levi said very sternly, "how many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Levi. Now that the Titans have proven to be real, we can't just settle down like we always have," Erwin said with his default expressionless face.

"Yeah," Hange added from where she stood, "my lookouts said that even more titans have started to show up in town. They're eating every person on sight."

"Yeah so…" Levi started, "this fort is supposed to keep us safe from them right? Then why can't we just live on like we used to when we thought they never existed?" Levi persisted.

Erwin then stood from his seat, "let's take a look outside," he suggested as he walked towards the door. He was intent on showing Levi instead of just talking about it. Everyone left the room with him. They all walked through the busy workspace until they stepped out.

People were moving all over the place with more cars entering and people being ushered in by security guards. "This is more crowded that I remember," Levi said while looking around along with his wife who was holding their now sleeping daughter.

"This is exactly why I need you back on the force," Erwin started, "before the titan reared its face, we were just a small community that lived under the security of the walls, expecting that one day, man-kind would face its first threat. We began to work on ways to sustain ourselves like farming and building shelters and workspaces."

"So, you're just like those assholes from Doomsday Preppers?" he asked with a bored expression on his face.

"Precisely," Hange added. She then glanced at Erwin as though asking for permission to complete and he nodded, "now that a lot of people have come to live in the fort, resources won't last forever. That's why we need to create a team of soldiers that can combat the titans in order for us to try and take back the city." She then put her hands on his shoulders, "we need your help training the soldiers."

Mikasa silently watched her husband. Despite having his default expression, she knew he was processing it. In her opinion, it seemed like a fair idea. Getting back her home would be great. Though, the town did look quite peaceful. She heard a little moan escape her daughter as she slept on her. She still hadn't said a word to anyone. It was heart-breaking to see her like that.

"I don't know Erwin…" Levi started before Mikasa cut in.

"Levi, I think it's a noble cause," she said, finally offering her input. "this could help a lot of people get back their homes. It can even help stranded survivors if there are any." She hoped her reasoning would help change his mind.

"What about my leg. It was the reason I left the military," Levi tried to defend, "I can't do much anymore."

"Levi, you work out more than any of the guys at the gym," his wife exposed him. "seriously, this is when you want to be honest about the reason for your dismissal?"

"But the kids will need to be looked after. Who's going to clean the house?" he tried again, this time he made eye contact with her but no way in hell could he ever make a face that could ignite sympathy in anyone. he just looked as cold as usual.

"Levi, you act like you're a single mom named Karen, or something," Mikasa pointed out before poking at his toned chest, "I can look after the home just as much as you can. You should join the military and help out. I'll look after everyone. Quit making excuses." She hoped this would change his mind.

"Actually Mrs. Ackerman," Erwin started while looking down at her, "we need you in the force as well. You were known for your exceptional skills while you were serving duty and we believe that would be high value to the little army we wish to form."

"Yeah, and don't worry about your mini Levi squad," Hange butt in while throwing her arm over Mikasa's shoulder, "there's a day care near the barracks so while you're busy, the kids can be watched over until 5PM if you like."

Mikasa began to think. It was a great deal actually. Maybe if she agreed, Levi would be willing to do it as well. "I'll do it," Mikasa said. Everyone then turned to face the shortest among them. All were expecting his answer.

Levi finally groaned, "fine, I'll do it," he agreed before Mikasa ruffled his hair ignoring the mumbles of protest. She knew he hated that but still did it anyways.

"Excellent. I'm glad to have you on the force again," Erwin said with his smile.

"Fuck you," the shorter man grumbled before he was nudged in the ribcage.

"Now, Levi, do you remember how to use an ODM gear?" Erwin asked.

How could he forget? that's what he used to use to avoid police back when he was still a gangbanger in the streets of the darker side of Sina Town, also known as the Underground. Though no time for backstories, "I do remember." Was all he responded.

"ODM gear?" Mikasa asked. She had never heard of such an equipment. Was it some new military weapon?

"Let's go to the labs," Hange said before leading them away.

* * *

Junior made his way around the cafeteria still bitterly mumbling about his laptop. It had a lot of his work on it including college essays and his game data. It was his life right after his phone and before his console. He then remembered the reason why he didn't have it, "ugh, stupid little man," he grumbled before walking up to a table where a blonde girl sat, sketching something. She hadn't noticed him standing there.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, causing her to raise her blue eyes and look at him. They had a short staring contest before he decided to break the silence, "I-Is anyone seated here?"

The girl quickly shook her head before Junior too a seat. She continued to sketch while occasionally sneaking glances at him.

Junior sat there watching her. He could tell that she was painfully shy and barely had any friends. Away from that, he still didn't have his laptop and it made him mad. He now felt like venting out to someone, "hey, have you ever been so angry at someone before?"

The girl lowered the sketch pad, revealing a pretty face, "well, not really." Was all she said in response.

Junior then had a sight blush before saying, "I'm Levi Ackerman Jr.—but most people just call me Junior," he said while stretching out his hand and she shook it.

"I'm Irene Smith. Nice to meet you," she flashed him a simple but cute smile before their hands separated.

"Nice to meet you too."

"… why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked. A few moments ago she was some shy kid but now she led the conversation like she was some natural leader.

"Well, when my family was about to leave for here, I forgot my laptop and decided to go retrieve it but then some dwarf just wouldn't let me through. Doesn't he know how much valuable information is in a laptop?" he explained with the frustration evident in his tone.

Irene had to admit, this boy seemed like a total moody nerd but then, Erwin had told her to make friends. "So… where did you leave it?" she asked, in order to keep the conversation going, "hah, it's funny that I'm asking after all, it's not like you'll go back to get it anyway," she chuckled while scratching her head. She quieted down when she realised that she was the only one laughing. She then looked at him and noticed him sitting there contemplatively. He wasn't actually considering it, was he?

"You know what," he started. He had a mischievous look in his eyes, "I think you have an idea, Irene. I'll go get my laptop back."

"Whoa," she panicked. She didn't mean to encourage something like this, "that's crazy, you'll get eaten by the titans out there."

Junior raised his eyebrows at the name they were given but smirked while crossing his arms, "please, there's only like, two of those titans out there so I bet we could totally go there unnoticed," he started as Irene question the use of 'we', "plus, I'm a smart kid. If anything goes wrong, we could totally outsmart those jackasses."

Irene had to admit, he had a cute smirk and it made her blush a little. She still had to question him, "wait, we?"

"Yes, we," he confirmed while looking back at her, "I can't go back on my own and I know my parents would freak out at me if I asked. Therefore, you will be my escort." He smiled so much that most people would fail to believe he was Levi's child but then, he got his smile from his mother.

Irene looked at him. A large part of her was yelling at her to deny while a smaller part was begging her to agree. "Okay, Levi, I'll go with you."

"Thanks," he said nervously before looking down at the table. Did she make him nervous?"

"Did I say anything?" Irene asked before he shook his head.

"No, it's just that…" he started before lifting his eyes to meet hers, "no one ever agrees to my ideas. I really appreciate you… I mean it."

The two sat in silence before the doors to the cafeteria opened, revealing a security guard, "Attention everyone!" he yelled, causing the whole place to go silent, "if there are any volunteers that are willing to fight the titans, report to the park tomorrow at noon. Commander Smith would like to address you all. All those that have even minimal combat ability are encouraged to attend." He then mumbled something about low pay before walking out and the cafeteria went back to being noisy.

"Who the hell's stupid enough to fight those things?" Junior asked before looking at Irene, who looked enthusiastic, "wait, you'd like to?"

The blonde girl nodded enthusiastically, "I've always wanted to be in the military like my dad. I bet he'll be excited when I tell him." She said that with so much excitement, Junior found it ridiculous, "we should join together. Don't you think?"

Junior was at a loss for words. He found it stupid but then, Irene agreed to escort him back to town. He may as well pay her back, "I'll do it," he said before she squealed. This was getting crazy but she still looked cute. He decided to change the topics, "you live here and like to draw right?"

"Yes, to both of them," she nodded before looking at him curiously, "why?"

"I was thinking you could give me a little tour while you show me some of your work."

* * *

"Hey kiddo, why don't I tell you a little story?" Levi asked his daughter as they sat on his and Mikasa's bed. Levi was already established as a Captain and hence got a personal room hat he shared with his wife instead of sleeping in the boys' dormitories. It was a pretty nice room with a desk, bathroom, and a bookshelf. Of course when they were given the room, he went into cleaning mode and made it spotless. Even though he agreed to re-joining the force, there was no way he would live in a dirty environment.

Marie still hadn't spoken since they had gotten there and it was worrying her parents. Maybe that's an exaggeration. Marie hadn't spoken unless to ask about the bathroom and it was worrying her parents. Their normally jolly bundle of joy was now quiet with a miserable look on her cute face. He sighed before asking, "Marie, what's wrong? You still haven't spoken to mommy and I."

The girl stayed silent as the door to his office swung open, revealing his wife who walked in and joined them on the bed. She saw her depressed daughter and looked back at her husband, "did she say anything?" she asked to which he shook his head.

"I've never seen her so sad before," Levi started, "she even refused to eat dinner." He then felt an aching sensation in his chest as he began to drown in thoughts.

Mikasa also started to think a lot while looking at the young girl. She felt her throat tighten and her eyes sting. Her breathing started to destabilise.

Levi noticed and pulled her into an embrace, "I know how painful it is to see her like this but if we let ourselves get depressed too…" he started before taking a deep breath, "we may never help her smile. Let's be strong for not only her, but for all our kids." The two then sat in silence, stroking each other's backs for comfort.

Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing the twins, "mom, dad?" Daniel started before the adults separated.

"What is it, boys?" Mikasa asked while looking at them, masking her previously emotional state.

"Are the older boys making fun of your 'jamies'?" Levi asked while putting emphasis on the last word. He was mocking them.

"Junior's missing."

**Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed that. That was chapter 3. Not that many changes but that's what I could do. Please feel free to tell me what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Here's another updated chapter of HSF. Still, I will shout out to arrios18 and emwal6492 for the support. Also, my fanfic was inspired by some of the other fics I've read from writers like Amaya0kami. They have some great fics I think you should check out. Anyway, onwards with the story.**

"What do you mean he's missing?" Levi asked as the boys walked towards them.

"We were about to sleep when we decided to look around for him," Daniel started, "We couldn't find him anywhere. Not in the bathrooms, the cafeteria and not anywhere we knew."

"Yeah and just so you know…" Dean added, "there's no way Danny and I will sleep in a room with old smelly paedophiles."

"Easy buddy. How do you even know what a paedophile is?" Mikasa said before looking at Levi, who was deep in thought, "do you have any clue as to where he may be?"

Levi furrowed his brows as he tried to think. Where could his son be? He then remembered, "He asked for the car keys earlier. He said Erwin's brat was giving him a tour of the town."

"But he's never out this late," Mikasa said while looking at her wrist watch, "It's 11pm." The couple shared a brief look for a moment both were trying hard to think of where he could be. Mikasa was about to say something when she noticed Levi suddenly scowl, "I'm guessing you've figured it out."

"Tch! That idiot went back to get his laptop," he scoffed before getting up.

"Wait, what makes you so sure?" Mikasa asked as she watched him put his shoes on, "no normal person would willingly risk getting eaten by titans for something as trivial as a laptop."

"Last time I checked, Junior isn't a very normal person," Levi said while putting on a leather jacket. He then looked at twins, "you two should stay here with your mother and sister while I go get that idiot." He then looked at his wife, "I'll be back."

"Levi," Mikasa called before he left. He stopped in his tracks and turned to listen, "please bring him back safely."

"Don't worry," Levi assured, "Our little boy's coming back without a scratch."

Levi stepped out of his quarters and into the hallway. His first job was to find Erwin but where could he be? He then stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to make his way down the hall, occasionally glancing from left to right as he walked. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Hey Levi," Hange called as she jogged up to him. She smelt like sweat and her visor had some steam on it.

"Can I help you?" Levi asked as he continued to walk, now with her by his side, "you smell like shit."

"Never hurt to say hi," she sighed before looking down at him, "where are you going at this time of night?"

"My kid decided to sneak out," he groaned as he thought about the possibility of him really going back to the city. He shook his head before looking up at Hange, "have you seen Erwin anywhere?"

"Hm… I met him on my way to the bathroom. He was looking for Irene and was checking for her in the girls' dorm," she answered before pointing to the right, "it's down there."

"Let's go, then," he said before following her direction with her tagging along, "say how're Eld, Oluo, Petra, and Gunther doing?" his remembered his old squad members from his army days. Somehow, he had lost contact with them.

"Oh those guys huh," she said before trying to remember, "they're still kicking though I haven't really spoken to them in a while. They live at Fort Rose across the city."

"Just how many of these stupid forts are there?"

"I don't think you have the right to call your current shelter stupid," she muttered under her breath before answering, "there's about three of them around Paradis City; Fort Maria, Sina and Rose."

"Which one is this one?"

"Fort Maria," she started but before she could add more information, they heard Erwin's voice.

"Why isn't she picking up?" Erwin asked as he leaned against the wall of the girls' dormitory. His looked at his phone with an expression showing disappointment and worry. He then noticed the two walking up to him, "Good evening."

"Erwin," Levi started as he looked up at the blonde man, "my brat is missing and I have a feeling he went back to the city."

"Coincidentally, Irene is missing too," Erwin added before putting his phone in his pocket, "do you think she could be with him?"

"Well, they were together," the shorter man added before deciding, "we need to go back into town and get them."

Hange then got an excited look on her face, "great thing you brought that to my attention because I have some toys that need to be tested," she said with excitement before the men shared a look with each other.

* * *

"The city looks quite deserted. Those titans sure cleared the place." Irene said as she sat in the passenger seat of the Ford while Junior drove. The town looked pretty roughed up. Most lights were off and there were a lot of crushed buildings, vehicles and blood splatters all over the place but there were no people in sight. It was like it wasn't an overpopulated place.

"Yeah, they had one big lunch-slash-dinner," Junior responded before turning. He eyes glanced around to see if there was any danger present, "surprisingly, I haven't seen a titan since we got here." He then looked at Irene and noticed her absentmindedly staring out the window.

"Are you okay?" he asked, causing her to turn her head towards him.

"Oh, I just hope my dad's okay," she said while looking at him, "I didn't tell him I was sneaking out with a boy."

Junior had a blush on his face as he somehow managed to take the statement out of context. He then shook his head before sighing, "I bet my dad would be pissed if he found out about this. I bet he'd break my laptop in my face just to hurt my feelings when we get back," he groaned before the issue of sneaking out came back to mind, "but then… how does your dad feel about you having a boyfriend?"

Irene's face briefly flashed pink before she smirked at him, "why do you ask?"

"I-I was just curious," he stuttered while keeping his eyes on the road. Trying his best to avoid making eye contact.

"Well, he doesn't mind as long as the guy isn't afraid to meet him," she explained, "but the one time I did have a boyfriend over, he freaked out and ran off when he saw my dad," she then sighed with a smile, "I guess I won't have a boyfriend unless I meet someone who isn't afraid of my dad."

"I've seen your dad at parent-teacher conferences. He doesn't look that scary… from afar anyway," Junior muttered before stopping the car, "we're here," he said as they stopped outside the house, "is your phone off?"

"Yeah, I turned it off before we left," she said while showing him the phone.

"Great, we don't need to attract any unnecessary attention," he said before opening the door and hopping out as Irene mimicked him. He then locked the car and started to lead her into the house.

They entered the building and Junior ensured to lock the door behind them. He looked forward and saw Irene looking around.

"This is a nice place you got here," she said in admiration, "Ever since I started staying with my dad, all I've known are the barracks."

"Uh thanks," he said before pointing towards a different room, "you can get a drink from the kitchen while I go look for my laptop."

"What do you have?" she asked while looking straight at him. They happened to be the same height.

"I think there's soda pop in the fridge—that's if the twins didn't drink it before we left," he said before she started to walk towards the kitchen. He then decided to make his way upstairs and into his bedroom.

He opened the door and glanced around. It was as messy as usual, "I guess dad forgot to check my room today," he then looked for his laptop and there it was, resting on his desk like some collectible in a videogame.

He rushed towards the device and began to inspect it for any damage before showering it with kisses, "I missed you so much," he said as he held it close to his chest.

"You're like every typical teenage boy on TV," Irene said from behind, forcing him to look back at her and found her looking at a magazine he swore he left under his pillow.

"Irene, please… for your own hygienic purposes, please put it down," he panicked as she slowly put it down.

She then glanced around the room and noticed all the fantasy gear he had. Robes, weapons and figurines, "you are such a nerd, Levi."

"Ugh, yeah, whatever," he rolled his eyes before grabbing the charger and stuffing it is his jumper pocket. He then held the laptop next to his chest, "let's get going. We weren't supposed to take too long here."

"Okay," she said as they left his bedroom and made their way towards the front door.

"Now, when we get back, you should say you were showing me some landmark," he said as he unlocked the door.

"Yeah… like the ponds," she said while trying to come up with something, "I could say we went for a swim."

"Uh… sure," he said before opening the door and they both froze at what they saw. There was a titan, seated right on top of the car and it seemed to have crushed the vehicle judging by the fact that the tires were lying flat right next to their original spots.

"Fuck…" Junior said before looking back at Irene who looked like her life was flashing before her eyes. she was gasping for air as her eyes widened. She then took a deep breath but before anything could come out, he covered up her mouth and took her back inside.

"Calm down Irene," Junior tried to coax the terrified girl into relaxing. He could feel her breath pushing against his palm. He could hear her mumbling, "I'm only going to remove my hand if you promise to be quiet." He still felt her mumbling, "do you promise to be quiet?" he asked before she nodded.

"What do we do, Levi?" Irene asked while panicking, "what if the titan eats us? I don't wanna leave my dad heart broken," she said.

"Calm down, Irene. We won't get eaten," Junior said before he started pacing. He began to think of possible ways to get back home, "If it's an hour drive then I think we could get there in a few hours on foot."

"Levi, we are so… not walking," Irene said, "we'll be eaten even before we leave town."

"Well then, what do you suggest?"

* * *

Three motorcyclists drove through the moonless night on the dirt road leading to the city. one of the cyclists accelerated in front of the others leaving dust behind her, "what do you guys think of this stylish mode of transport?" Hange asked into her headset as she excitedly rode ahead of them.

"This isn't a bad choice," Erwin's voice responded as he rode on her back right, "it's unique, yes but I don't think this will be a suitable mode for soldiers. We'd be more like a biker gang."

"Don't worry, I'm working on everything. When the time for our first expedition comes, we'll be all set," she smirked before glancing at her back left and saw Levi looking a bit distraught, "You okay, Levi?"

"Huh?" he asked before shaking his head, "of course I'm not. You just blew fucking dust on me!" he cursed before sighing and looking at the city. That brat better be okay.

The bikes soon came to a stop outside the city entrance the city. "Aw, where are the titans?" Hange asked as she got off her bike and pouted while looking around. She anticipated seeing them in the city.

"Maybe they're asleep," Erwin suggested, hoping to humour the shorter two but to no avail. He then turned to Levi, "how far is your home from here?"

"About a thirty-minute drive from here," he estimated while looking down one of the roads.

"Hah! This will be a great opportunity to test out the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear" Hange with even more excitement before stroking the contraption hooked around her waist. She then turned to the males behind her, "I take it you guys remember how this works, right?" she asked before they nodded.

"I guess, I'll have to take the lead then," Levi said before firing the steel wires at a nearby building before jetting towards it with the other two following.

As they glided through the air, they all couldn't help but enjoy the feel of the air on their faces. It was a thrilling experience.

Levi couldn't help but get a feeling of nostalgia as he flew past several buildings. It was exactly like in the Underground, except instead of running away from cops, he was flying alongside fellow former militant and a commander. Suddenly, an idea hit him, a trick he used to use back then.

He looked around before he saw what he was looking for, a glass building and it looked like most of the glass was already broken, perfect.

He then fired the hooks at said building and began to reel himself in at a fast rate using a lot of gas. Once he was close to the building, he disconnected the hooks and flew right through the opening. Because of how much force he propped himself with, he glided through the building and out of it before hooking onto another building.

"Way to be a total show off," Hange commented through the earpiece as she was flying right behind him.

"How Far, Levi?" Erwin asked.

Levi glanced at the ground before noticing his house, "we're actually not so far. It's below us."

The group eventually landed on the roof of the house opposite the Ackerman residence.

"Wow, swanky neighbourhood you lived in," Hange said while looking at the other houses. When she looked at Levi's house, her face lit up with excitement, "oh my gosh, a real life titan is right in front of your house!"

"Shut up, will ya?" he said as he looked where she was looking and saw the titan right in front of his house. He then took a closer look and saw four familiar tires beside it as well as some metal parts on the ground. His heart nearly stopped, "is that thing on my car?"

"Why isn't it moving?" she asked while flailing her hands in front of it, "hello… Mr. Titan!" she called but got no response. she then sighed before looking at Erwin, "perhaps you were right, Erwin. It is asleep."

"It's sleeping on my fucking car!" Levi shouted while grabbing his head, "my beautiful car!"

"Calm down Levi," Erwin said while looking down at him. "the more important thing is the children. They must be stranded without a means of getting back to the fort."

"Fuck Junior, my car is wrecked!"

"Levi!" Erwin reprimanded with a firm tone and facial expression, forcing Levi to shut his mouth and mumble continuously. He then looked back at the house, "the fact that the titan seems unresponsive can be used to our advantage. We best try and act now before it's too late." He then hopped off the roof with the two following him closely.

Hange immediately walked over to the beast and began to examine it while taking pictures and taking notes on her phone, "you guys go in," she said while feeling the titan's flesh, "I've got work to do."

Erwin nodded before looking back at Levi, "I'd prefer you be the first to walk in," he said before the shorter man grunted and walked towards the entrance.

He twisted the knob and opened the door to the house. Both men entered the house and looked around. The lights were off so they pulled out their phone torches while Levi searched for the switch.

In a minute, the lights were on, revealing the living room but no teenagers, "Irene! Levi Jr.!" Erwin shouted but they got no response. The commander then looked at the veteran, "no response."

"I know that, dumbass," Levi grunted before he started to walk towards the staircase with Erwin in tow.

They both reached the upper floor and Erwin decided to call again, "is anyone here?" he asked and the door to Junior's bedroom opened revealing Irene who made a dash into her father's arms. The held each other in a tight embrace while Irene spouted a lot of things.

Levi then decided to storm into his son's room and found him seated on his bed with his beloved laptop on his lap. For a moment, he had a look of relief but that was easily taken over by an angry look.

"H-Hey, dad," Junior nervously greeted his father, who clearly wasn't happy to see him.

"Let's go," was all Levi said before his son shut his laptop and got to his feet with the device in his hands and followed the short man outside the room.

"You're a fascinating creature, aren't you?" Hange asked while stroking its side. The clouds then separated and moonlight penetrated and shone over the area, "good thing the moon is out so I can see you better…" Hange started before the beast began to stir until it shot up and off of the car. It stood straight before letting out a growl.

Hange took a few steps back. She was scared but mesmerised by it, "such a beautiful creature," she said before leaping backwards as it tried to grab her. It was awake but a bit slow.

"What's going on out here, Hange?" Erwin asked as everyone ran outside before seeing the monster turn to face them and charge after them, "take cover!" the commander ordered as everyone ran out of its path—except for Irene, who it caught and was raising to its mouth with her flailing.

"Dad!" she yelled as she screamed as it gave her a squeeze, forcing a bit of blood out of her.

Erwin's eyes narrowed before he latched onto the titan and launched himself at it. With a swift slash of the sword, the titan's arm was slashed off and went to the ground with Irene. Luckily, the arm cushioned her fall and Erwin quickly pried her out of its hand and lifted her bridal style. He looked at her, "are you okay?"

"Y-Yes," she responded while looking up at him.

Everyone then looked back at the titan that now had steam on its wound. Hange took a closer look and saw the skin repairing itself, "I think it's regenerating."

Erwin help his daughter back onto her feet before motioning her onto his back and she hopped on, "Alright, we need to get out of here now," Erwin said before readying his ODM Gear, "Let's move!"

"Hop on my back, idiot!" Levi ordered his son.

"W-Wait, wha…ow!" Junior started before he was kneed to the crotch and was forced onto his father's back.

"Hold on tight," Levi said before they jetted after the others with the Titan in tow.

As they soared through the air, they heard a lot of roaring from the ground and when they checked, about twenty more titans had joined the original two.

"Whoa, that's a lot of titans!" Hange yelled in awe as she flew ahead of everyone, "that means there's probably different types to study."

"That also means, we have to get to the bikes before they do!" Erwin commented before asking, "can these things go any faster?"

"Yeah, just use more gas!" Hange responded before demonstrating and Erwin quickly followed behind. Leaving the Ackermans behind.

"Hey, dad. We've been left behind!" Junior pointed out.

"If you had quit eating those cheese sticks like I told you, we wouldn't have been!" Levi responded before latching onto another building and using a lot more gas.

Before he could change direction, a titan hopped into the air and spread out its hands. In a swift movement, Levi barely dodged it, sending them crashing onto one of the roofs.

Junior quickly sat up and glanced around. He then freaked out when he saw his laptop broken on the ground. He crawled towards it and looked at the pieces. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling and a titan hopped onto the roof and grinned at him hungrily. He felt his body paralyse with fear."

"Ugh, fuck…" Levi grabbed his leg as he flinched in pain with his eyes shut. He hadn't felt that bad since the actual injury itself and it stung terribly. He grunted as he tried to ease the pain but to no avail. Suddenly he heard a cry.

"Dad, help!" Junior called.

The Veteran opened his eyes when he heard the cry, "Junior!" he shouted as he panicked with his eyes darting around. Finally, he saw his son as the titan loomed over him the fear in Junior's eyes sent rage through Levi's veins before he propelled himself towards the titan, "stay the fuck away from him!" he snarled before slicing off the titan's legs.

The titan lost balance on the slanted roof and soon it fell off, landing on smaller titans on the ground.

"Did he hurt you?" Levi asked. The concern was evident in his eyes as he examined him by checking his body.

"Yeah," he responded before his father helped him up, "but my laptop sure isn't."

"Ugh, let's go. That doesn't matter right now," Levi said before Junior got back onto his back and they were back into the air.

They landed back at the spot where the bikes were parked and found the others waiting for them. Erwin was the first to respond, "what was the hold up? We were getting worried about you."

"Please Erwin, calm down," Levi said, "you know very well that there's no known thing that can kill me," he said smugly before going to get on his bike, "Junior, come on!" he said before his son joined him on the bike.

"Alright then," Erwin said while also getting on the bike, "Let's go!" with that, the bikes were on the road once again. All of them had survived the titans first-hand and this was a new story to tell for Hange. She was ecstatic and was moving the fastest.

"You know, Junior," Levi started as they rode, "your mother and I were worried about you. She'll be as glad as I am that you're safe." His expression didn't seem to earn him a response so he quickly took a glance back at him and saw him staring into nothingness. He wore a depressed expression and Levi knew what was happening. That brat was still thinking about his laptop and he had enough of it.

"Tch!"

"Dad, what's wrong?" Junior asked after hearing the signature scoff.

"Erwin and I come all the way out here to save you guys' asses from a titan because you wanted your laptop, Irene almost got eaten, you almost got eaten and yet you're still thinking about your laptop!" he responded while keeping his eyes on the road. He didn't want to risk getting in any accidents.

"Wha-how-why are you getting angry at me for?" he asked as he clearly didn't understand how he was in the wrong. He just wanted back his property, "don't I have the right to get back what belongs to me?"

"Junior, you risked both Yours and Irene's lives in the name of getting back some cheap gadget. Junior are you aware of that?"

"Dad, you have no idea how much that laptop means to me!" he shouted, "you can't understand."

"And you can't understand how much Irene means to Erwin and how much you mean to me. Do you know how miserable Erwin and I would have felt if you guys didn't survive? Do you know what kind of impact that would've had on your mother?" he poured out the questions with a slight crack in his tone. He cleared his throat before continuing, "we've gone out of your way to raise you, yet you turned into such a materialistic brat!"

There was a tense silence that befell them. The only ambience being the sound of the engines roaring and Hange's occasional yells on excitement. Junior couldn't tell what was taking up more of his mind, the need to retort and what to actually say. Eventually, the words came.

"Well Excuse me!" he started, "none of this would've happened if you had just let me take it in the first place!" the younger Ackerman felt satisfied when he noticed his father flinch. He was about to say another thing when the motorcycle slowed to a stop, "dad?"

Ignoring his son, Levi triggered the earpiece, "Hange, please come back for a moment. I need to tell you something," was a he said before sighing and sitting in silence with his arms crossed.

A few minutes later, Hange's motorcycle came to a halt right next to Levi's, "Hey, what's up?" she asked while removing her visor.

"I need you to take Junior with you," Levi said in his usual tone, trying his best to seem normal but Hange saw through it.

"Are you okay, Levi?" she asked while resting her hand on his shoulder. From the time she spent with Levi on duty, she came to know him quite a bit. Including how he acts when he's upset, "you look tense."  
Levi then removed her hand from his shoulder, "I'm fine Hange," he said while looking at her with his regular look, "I just want to make sure there are no titans that could've followed us. I just had a bad feeling and I need to clarify."

"Hmm…" she said skeptically before he scowled at her, "Okay, geez. Come on Levi No.2," she finally gave in.

"Dad, why…" Junior started before he was cut off.

"Junior, just get off the bike," he said as his son hesitantly got off and hopped onto the next bike.

"You all set?" Hange asked while looking at the boy who nodded. She then glanced at Levi one more time before starting up her bike and driving off.

Even as she drove, she still had an uneasy feeling and dared to glance at him through the mirror. The last thing she saw before she looked away was him kicking at the ground and falling onto his back in the distance.

Eventually, they did arrive back into the fort and both bikes parked outside the barracks. Junior stepped of the bike as Hange turned off the ignition.

The woman then turned to him, "do you know where the boys' dorms are? I could take you," she suggested.

"N-No, I'll wait for him," he declined before Hange wished him a goodnight and walked off. He then looked to his side and saw Erwin and Irene conversing about whether or not she would need to be in the infirmary. After a five-minute discussion, they came to an agreement.

"Um Levi," Erwin started while looking at the young man, "when your father gets back, tell him I'm sorry I couldn't wait. I need to take Irene to the infirmary."

"Okay Mr. Smith," Junior responded before the blondes walked off. Now that he took a good look at him, he understood why Irene's first boyfriend freaked out. He was a way… taller than him and he carried a very intimidating presence with him. He then sighed as he thought about his dad.

Guilt started to flood his mind when he processed everything Levi said to him. Come to think of it, he was being materialistic and he didn't even deserve to be saved. Even after being saved, he still gave his father a hard time. His head was getting clouded.

"Tch!" he scoffed before covering his mouth. He felt even worse because he realised how much he sounded like him.

* * *

About an hour and a half had passed and Junior had already started to doze off while leaning against the wall. The sound of an engine woke him up and he rubbed his eyes when he saw the last motorcycle roll up. He rose to his feet and waked towards the bike as Levi dismounted it, "Hey dad, I…"

He was cut off by his father's right hand while his left hand held a bottle of beer. He went out for a few drinks. Did he upset him that much?

Levi then decided to walk past him. He was about to go far, but the pain in his leg decided to return forcing a grunt out of his mouth as he clutched it.

"D-Dad, are you ok?" Junior tried to help but once again he received a pass before watching his father limp into the building.

Junior then looked back at the bike and noticed a box on the back. He must've forgotten it.

Desperate to speak to his father, Junior took this as an opportunity and grabbed the box to take it to him. As he walked into better lighting, he saw the words 'I'm sorry' written on the top of the box. Bombarded with curious thoughts, Junior stopped and looked at the box.

A large part of him yelled 'open it!' so he did. He opened the top and was met with a large amount of bubble wrap. Even more tempted, he worked on the wrap and reached into the box. He held onto something and pulled it out onto his lap. His heart nearly dropped when he saw what he held.

"He got me a new laptop."

**Hey guys. Thanks for reading the story. I appreciate all you readers very much. Anyway, I'm sure you've noticed my OCs and enjoyed the chapter. I'd love to hear what ya'll have to think. Anyway, thanks to all those that enjoy this. I enjoy writing for you.**

**Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Welcome back to another updated chapter of HSF. I'll admit that things are getting better for me as I write. I hope you're still there. Anyway, Onwards with the story.**

Ring! Ring! Ring! "Breakfast time!" a man's voice shouted as a bell was rang in the halls. Unfortunately, it was like he was standing right outside Levi's quarters.

Mikasa was the first to respond as her eyes fluttered open. She then sat up and glanced around the room, trying to process their location before remembering the previous day's events. She then let out a yawn before looking down at Marie, who was fast asleep.

"Why the hell is that asshole ringing a bell so early in the morning?" she heard Levi groan from behind her. She looked back at him and watched as he tried to cover his head with a pillow.

"Get less sleep than usual?" Mikasa asked as the bell stopped ringing and Levi finally relaxed and lay on his back.

"Last night was exhausting," he sighed while looking up at her with his sleep deprived eyes surrounded by dark rings, "morning, by the way."

"Morning, Levi," she responded before asking, "what time did you get back and where are the twins."

"I got back at I think half-past 3. I walked into the room told the twins to get out and then I joined you in bed," he explained before Marie sat up.

"Morning sweetie," Mikasa greeted the little girl who had just woken up and was yawning. She proceeded to look around while her parents watched her, hoping the previous day's depression had worn off.

The child only glanced back at the floor before a frown befell upon her face. She held the blanket and pulled it towards her chest as though for security.

Mikasa sighed in disappointment before looking back at her husband, "I don't understand. Is there anything we've done wrong?"

"This is no time to blame ourselves," Levi said before placing his hand on her shoulder, "let's just give her some time. Maybe she's just thinking?"

"Levi, she's only two. Which two-year-old would 'think' so much?" Mikasa asked with frustration while air quoting 'think'.

"Mikasa she's human too. She probably needs time to think as much as any normal human being," Levi responded.

"Are you getting me?" Mikasa asked as though disappointed in him, "This isn't something you can just overlook."

"You think I don't know that?" Levi barked back at her as he sat up, "I'm worried about her just as much as you are."

"I'm starting to doubt that because if you were as worried about her as much as I am, you'd have suggested we get help," she responded as they glared at each other.

"Tch! If you…" Levi started before they both heard little sobs. Mikasa quickly brought Marie onto her lap before hugging her to calm her down. She gently caressed her until her sobbing stopped.

Levi then sighed before deciding to dismiss their previous dispute, "Listen Mikasa. Let's not argue about this. We're in this together," he said with concerned look.

"Right." Mikasa then looked back at him. "what do you suggest we do then?"

"maybe you girls should go eat breakfast and freshen up," he started as he reached out and stroked Marie's hair. He then looked up at Mikasa, "we can look for a psychologist afterwards."

"Sounds fine," Mikasa responded before getting up while still carrying Marie, "Aren't you coming to eat?"

"I'll come a bit later," he responded before lying back down, "let me try and get at least thirty minutes of sleep," he said as he closed his eyes.

Mikasa then smiled at him before looking at Marie, "let's go eat."

* * *

The cafeteria was quite noisy as a lot of people walked around, going about their business. Mikasa had Marie in her arms. The child seemed less depressed and more fascinated as she looked at the many people around them.

Mikasa then decided to glance around before she spotted her sons at a table. She then made a beeline for the table, "Morning guys," she greeted them as she put Marie on the bench, next to Junior.

"Morning, Mom," the twins responded while Junior nervously looked at her.

"How are you, Junior?" Mikasa raised her eyebrow as she greeted her eldest child. She gave him an intimidating look.

"F-Fine," he responded while scratching his hair. He felt himself shrink under her silent gaze. She was the only person he could admit scared him. He then lost control over his mouth, "I just needed my laptop so I snuck out with Irene and then there was a titan on the car and then we were saved and I fought with dad…"

"Calm down," Mikasa dismissed him with a smile, "I'm just glad you're safe is all," she finished before caressing his cheek. She then looked at the serving bay, "Junior, look after Marie while I get hers and my food. I'll be back."

With that, Mikasa made her way over to the serving bay and joined the line. The food smelt pretty decent in the air. She glanced around and saw even more people enjoying their food. Some were families while others were just friends (she assumed). It was like there wasn't a man-eating monster out in the city.

She eventually grabbed two bowls walked up to the server, who gave her a quizzical look, "The other bowl's for my daughter," she said before she was served oats. She then began to return to the table when she heard a familiar voice.

"Mikasa!" Eren's voice called.

In a heartbeat, Mikasa turned her head towards the direction of the voice and her eyes landed on Eren and Armin. Without hesitation, she dashed right at them. She couldn't help but feel relieved to see that they had survived the titan, "Eren, Armin. You're alright." she beamed at them like a child at their favourite toy.

"Of course we're alright," Eren said proudly, "you're acting like you don't know us."

"Though barely," Armin confessed, "I went to check up on Eren at his place when the monster showed up in the neighbourhood. We barely escaped with Historia on his pickup truck by the time we got here."

Now that she had been mentioned, Mikasa had to ask, "where is Historia, anyway?" she then saw Eren's face drop into a frown.

"She's with Ymir at that table," he muttered while glaring at his wife, who was currently enjoying her meal with the brunette. He gritted his teeth, "why wasn't she just eaten?" he muttered as Mikasa also ended up glaring in Ymir's direction as well. Eren meant a lot to her and this led to her instantly hating anyone who hurt him.

Armin could sense the tension in the air and decided to clear it by clearing his throat. "Guys, let's not get any negative thoughts. In fact, we should be happy that we're all alive."

Both Eren and Mikasa snapped out of it and sighed. Eren was the first to speak, "you're right. We are all alive. Say, Mikasa, have you got any space on your table?"

"Oh yes," she responded before leading them to the table where the boys sat. "Guys, you remember uncle Eren and uncle Armin right?"

"Yep," Dean responded on everyone's behalf, "uncle Armin helped me with my homework and uncle Eren's the one that sometimes crashes on our couch when he's probably been kicked out." Dean had no brakes when it came to speaking his mind. He just let everything out.

"Dean!" Mikasa scolded before welcoming the men to join them at the table. She set the bowls on the table.

"You've all grown so much," Armin said while he looked at all the children. He then looked at the eldest, "especially you. I'd bet you're even taller than me now."

"Thanks. I think I'm going to surpass mom by the time I'm eighteen," Junior said proudly before remembering, "Oh uncle Armin, I got an A on the project we worked on together. I couldn't believe that old man."

"Hey, that project was worth more than just an 'A'" Armin responded looking disappointed.

"I know right!" Junior shared in the disappointment as they continued to talk.

While the nerds complained about how their hard work hadn't been acknowledged, Mikasa has hoisted Marie onto her lap and was feeding her. At least she was eating.

"The little angel doesn't seem as excited as usual," Eren's voice called, drawing her attention towards him, "if you don't mind, what's wrong?"

Mikasa only shrugged, "she hasn't said a thing since yesterday and we think she must've seen something traumatising," she said while looking down at her. She then looked back at him, "I just hope she'll be fine soon."

"I can't bear to see my niece like this," Eren started, "but I know she'll come around soon. She's a tough little cookie and she gets it from her parents." He assured her before looking around, "where is her other parent anyway?"

As if on cue, they heard a scoff in the distance, "Tch! How can you be eating on such a filthy table? What are you, Livestock?" they turned and saw Levi barking at a group of people at a table while Erwin simultaneously tried to calm him down while apologizing to the people.

"No offence Mikasa, but…" Eren started, "how do you handle waking up to a face like that every morning?" he asked as he saw the scowl her husband wore.

"I got used to it after a while. You're lucky he's freshened up because he looks worse when he's exhausted," she said while remembering the earlier days of their relationship.

"It's like he's one of those seven dwarves... uh think his name was Grumpy," Eren commented.

"Don't tell anyone I told you this but…" she then whispered, "he sometimes refuses to kiss me unless I sit down so he feels taller," she said before they shared a laugh.

"My lips are sealed," Eren responded before changing the subject, "are you joining the military?"

"Yes, I am," she responded, "I had no choice in the matter. I was thrown into it." She then looked at her watch and stood, "Anyway Eren, I've gotta go right now."

"Where to?" he asked while looking up at her.

"Levi and I are finding a psychologist for Marie. We planned on doing it before the meeting," she explained before he nodded. She then looked at the boys, "you guys look after yourselves. Your father and I have something to attend to today." With that, she walked off.

"Um, uncle Armin. Can I ask a question?" Junior asked, after everyone had left the table.

"What is it?" Armin asked while giving him his full attention.

Junior took a deep breath before thinking of how to put it. The previous night's events played through his mind. He then opened his mouth and explained everything.

"Wow, you had a long night," Armin said after he had finished explaining. "I'm sure you know your dad loves you, right?"

"He does. Ugh, he got me a new laptop," Junior groaned, "I'm starting to feel like a huge jerk."

"Well, what do you intend to do about it?" Armin asked as he rested his chin on his fist.

Junior thought hard about it. What was he going to do? It's not like he could save his father from a titan or anything, "I have no idea what I could do."

"Is there anything that brought you and Levi close in the past?" Arming asked while trying to come up with something.

"We got really close when I played soccer in junior high but we drifted apart when I started LARPING in high school." He explained as he looked at the blonde process. If there was one thing Junior admired about Armin, it was his intellect.

"You should try and do something that'll reinstate that bond you once lost. It may make him warm up to you again," he explained while looking at his empty bowl.

"Like what?" he asked as the man started to gather his stuff.

"I'm sorry but I have to go," Armin said as he stood up, "I promised Eren we'd tour the town before attending the meeting." He then looked down at him, "I know you'll figure it out. You're a smart kid." With that, the blonde was gone.

Junior groaned as he thought. How could he repay his father for doing so much for him. He came up with a lot of well thought schemes but none were sincere. He then looked at the security guards hanging out at one of the tables.

He sighed before getting up and walking. The only ambience being the sound of his shoes squeaking alongside the guards' voices.

"Hey kid!"

Junior stopped in his tracks. He turned his neck and found it was a guard that called him. What could they possibly want? "Can I help you?" he asked in a flat tone.

"What's your name?" the guard asked him from his table as his colleagues all paid attention to him.

"Levi," Junior responded before the guards all shared a look and started to laugh. It sort of got annoying, "Can I go, now?"

"You know, Levi…" the guard started while turning away from the table and faced him, "you're a pretty good looking boy," he said while biting his lip, "us officers work a lot and we sometimes get exhausted and need a little help to get us hyped again," he then removed his glasses, "why don't you put your mouth to good use and get on your knees for us?"

Junior felt the food rise up his throat. Goosebumps covered his arms as he felt his legs shiver. He looked at the men and no longer saw security guards but disgusting old men that looked even hungrier than the titan he saw the previous night. "that's disgusting!" he shouted as the guard stood up.

"Come on… we can give you however much you want" he said as he started to walk towards him.

Junior walked away from him. Keeping his eyes on the guard at all times. There was no way he would lose his dignity like that, "I don't want anything from you! I won't suck your…"

"Shush! No need to be so loud," he said before lunging at him and gripping him, "let's just work together.

Junior tried is best to escape his grasp but he wasn't strong enough. The guard just pulled him closer, "Please, let go of me!" he begged while trying to plant his feet in the ground.

Suddenly, a rock hit the guard's head, forcing him to let go. Junior looked at the door and saw Irene standing there, "get over here!" she yelled.

Junior then dashed towards the door and stood next to the blonde, "thanks."

"You're welcome," she smiled before looking back inside, "the guards haven't given up. Let's go!" she said before running off with Junior right behind her.

The boy panted as he tried to catch up to her on the street. She was running as though she wasn't even hurt yesterday. She was freaking fast. One thing that he couldn't help was the fact that he kept on glancing at her rear as she ran. "Damn…" he hummed before he almost tripped, "shit!"

"Are you okay?" he heard her ask from in front.

"Yeah, I just stumbled," he responded. He could also hear the shouts of the guards coming from behind him. Irene soon turned down an alley and Junior followed her.

The alley was filled with all sorts of trash and some dumpsters but no Irene in sight. Where was she. He began to look around frantically. He could hear the guards calling for them in the distance and he started to freak out. Eventually, Irene's voice called from above, "get up here!" He looked up and saw her standing on the roof.

Junior looked around until he saw a ladder near the building. He then grabbed onto the metal steps and climbed the ladder faster than possible for him. When he reached the top, he plopped onto the ground and tried to stabilise his breathing.

"Get off your ass and help me," Irene said as she tried to lift a large crate.

Junior got to his feet and helped her carry it over to the edge. Irene then spoke, "On three, we'll drop it okay. One, two… three!" she shouted before they threw the crate and it landed on the un-expecting guards, knocking them out.

"That was awesome, dude!" she said as they high fived. Their hands didn't separate as they shared glanced at each other's faces. Irene felt a bit embarrassed and tried to hide from his eyes and looked downwards. Big mistake. She then smirked, "I guess you were into that guard after all."

"What do you mean?" Junior asked her. The girl shifted her gaze to him but pointed downwards. Junior followed her hand and saw what she was pointing at, his junk was wide awake, pointing right at her, "Oh, Irene I'm so sorry!" he apologized while covering himself up as his face went bright red. It must have happened when he was staring at her butt.

"It's fine," Irene dismissed with her face also pink, "it was probably my fault anyway."

"W-Whoa, what makes you think you're the cause of this?" Junior asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Duh, isn't it obvious?" she asked before smiling. Her face looked angelic. She had this innocent and pure looking smile that also turned out to be very hot. A feature she acquired from her father. She smirked when she noticed the boy bite his lip, "okay, Levi, let's get going. I need you to escort me to the arena for the announcement.

"Okay," he muttered before following her.

* * *

The two found themselves at a park. The environment was mostly grassy and had several pathways and a little play-park where a group of children jumped around.

Also in the park was a large multitude of people, they all seemed to be there for the meeting Irene spoke about.

"Let's try and get a spot in the front," Irene said as she dragged him by his arm, through the large crowd, occasionally bumping into people here and there until they were in the front. They managed to spot a wooden stage.

"I'm so excited," Irene said with a grin on her face. She kept her eyes on the stage as her father stepped onto the stage.

The blonde man folded his arms behind his back as he gazed at the people below him, "I'm impressed that so many people came," he said as he observed his surroundings.

"There must be like a hundred of them or so," Hange added from behind him.

"I doubt they'll be this many when you explain more about this issue," Levi also commented from behind the commander, "I can't blame them. Those things aren't a walk in the park to deal with."

"Perhaps you're right," Erwin responded as he looked at everyone. The number of people willing would reduce to maybe even zero and that was an inevitable fact. Who would be willing to risk their lives to fight titans after they had just found refuge. Even though having many soldiers would be beneficial, it wasn't possible, "we won't have everyone by the time I'm done with this assembly but… it's better to have ten brave soldiers than a hundred cowards."

"Very optimistic, aren't you?"

Erwin then took a deep breath before his calm facial features morphed into an expression showing determination, "I am pleased to see that so many of you were interested in joining the fight against the monsters or as we of the fort call them… titans," he started as everyone had quieted down, "I will not lie to you though. The titans are a species that we have nearly no clue about and joining our cause may be as good as giving your lives away."

The commander could sense the doubt that began to show in everyone's eyes as they began to mumble among themselves. However, he kept a straight face, "I have chosen to risk my life because I refuse to sit back and watch as those creatures steal my home. The home that I built in that city, among the thousands of homes you have all built within that city, a city that has raised us into the adults we are, now."

The commander then took a deep breath before barking, "I refuse to be kicked out of my house!" everyone watched, taken aback in silence as he spoke. "That's why I want to form a force. A force that's willing to give it their all to ensure that they take back what's theirs. To take back their homes from those titans and finish off every last one of them."

"This sounds crazy," Junior muttered from where he stood before looking at Irene. The blonde looked psyched as she listened to her father speak. She was really into it.

"However, this fight will not be easy. Perhaps many of us will lose our lives in fight," he continued, "I don't know about you but I'm more than willing to give myself away so humanity can rule the land once more. I'd rather die knowing humanity got a step closer to taking back what's theirs than cower and watch my home get overrun with those beasts."

"I would rather fight alongside those willing than those unwilling," Erwin continued, "that's why I'm giving you an option. If you have your doubts, then walk away. I'll respect your decision but if you're willing to fight then stay in your position. His eyes then narrowed before he barked, "How many of you are willing to give it your all and dedicate what may be rest of your lives to fighting for humanity?!"

"This is crazy!" Junior said as he watched a lot of people started to leave. It sounded like a careless idea to throw away your life so easily and the young Ackerman wasn't willing to do so. He then looked at Irene, "dude, let's get out of here."

"No, Levi," Irene responded while still looking at the stage, "I'm not going anywhere."

"This is crazy, Irene. Why would you want to give your life away like that?" he asked before she glared at him.

"I'm more than willing to give myself away because I'm not afraid to die for humanity's sake," she responded with the same look in her eye as her father's, "I don't want to stay back and die like a coward while knowing I could've done something to ensure a bright future for someone else. If you'd rather save yourself, then fine. Go! But I'm going to fight."

Junior looked at the blonde like she was crazy. It didn't make sense that she would do such a thing but then again, she was the crazy man's daughter. He then shook his head before turning but his feet refused to move. Why wasn't he leaving? He never wanted to do something so crazy.

Eventually, people had stopped to leave and about 50 more people were left. Half of the people had left. Erwin sighed before speaking, "I hope you all are still standing there because you want to fight. If you are standing there because you think it's a joke, then you're dead wrong," he then barked again, "I urge you again. If you aren't willing to give your lives to assure man kind's survival, then you are free to leave!"

All the people stayed in their positions. A lot of them seemed to be having mental conflict within themselves as they all stood. Still, one left. "Fine then," Erwin said before asking, "Now, are you all willing to die if ordered to?"

"No, I'm not going to die!" Irene shouted from the crowd. Her blue eyes locked with her father's. Her breathing seemed to have intensified after making such a bold claim as her fists trembled.

Erwin let out a small smile before continuing, "All of you brave souls have earned my respect and we salute all of you for your courage," Erwin declared before saluting, with Hange and Levi mimicking him right after, "The barracks will be emptied in order for you soldiers to accommodate them. Don't worry, all the people that will be moved will also be compensated for."

He then stood at ease, "tomorrow, you'll begin training with my associates on the cornfields near the barracks. For now, you can return to your daily business."

With that, everyone began to leave. Some were walking away, excited while others mentally cursed themselves.

"What did I do?" Junior asked himself, "why didn't I fucking walk away?"

"It's because a small part of you was willing to fight," Irene said as she rested her hand on his shoulder, "deep down, you know you're doing the right thing."

"No, Irene. I'm a big coward. I'm just a nerd who LARPs and games and... other things I'd rather not talk about. I'm not cut out for this type of life," he complained.

"Perhaps there's a reason your body betrayed you," Irene said before pulling her hand away, "have a good day. I'm going to talk to my dad." With that, Irene walked off.

Junior watched as the blonde girl hopped onto the stage and hugged the tower she called her father. Father… father! Wait, he still had to make it up to his father. He then looked at the man on the stage, scowling while Hange spoke to him loudly.

"I never expected you to join the army," Mikasa said as she walked up to him with Marie in her arms.

"I never expected myself to either," he muttered before a thought came to mind, "but maybe there is a reason," he said before looking at his father. Perhaps this was how he was meant to regain his father's bond. Maybe the army would do that for him.

Mikasa then smiled at him before ruffling his hair, "I'm sure you'll make a wonderful soldier."

"Really?"

"You are an Ackerman after all."

"Of course…"

**Hey guys, thanks for reading so far. I appreciate the support and I'm glad I'm finally done with this chapter. Anyway, I hope I wrote a good Erwin speech. Feel free to tell me what you guys think. Anyway, the next chapter's got some training in it. Let's see where this goes.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Here's another chapter for you all and I hope you're enjoying yourselves. I really hope I'm doing a great job with the characters and I'd love to hear what you all have to say. Thanks to all those that followed and favorited my fic. I appreciate it. Alright, on with the story.**

"So, are you excited?" Mikasa started as she walked with her son on the barren cornfields. Several volunteers wandered around. Some were carrying out stretches and other workouts while others only loitered and lazed around.

"Not even the slightest bit," Junior responded as they stopped waking, "I'm really nervous right now."

The woman then tilted her head as her silver eyes filled with curiosity and concern, "what made you join in the first place?"

"I don't know, I-I just…" he started before sighing, "I was thinking joining the military would bring me closer to dad but now… everything seems so…" he trailed off.

"Intimidating?" Mikasa completed as her son nodded. She then looked at him before chuckling, "we haven't even begun training and you're already giving up? You have Ackerman blood; you know?"

The male rolled his eyes in annoyance, "ugh, why do you always say that? I don't even know what you mean by it," he said before stuffing his hands in his pockets and sighed, "I just don't know if I can make it. I mean, if making it through gym class was a miracle, what more the army?"

"Just give it a bit of time," Mikasa responded before turning, "you'll get the hang of it. It's in your blood." With that, the woman walked off to join the other adults.

"What's so special about my blood?" Junior groaned himself as he watched his mother walk off. Her ambiguity was getting rather annoying.

"Hey Levi!" Irene's voice called out, forcing Junior to turn and look in her direction. She was standing with a few other teenagers and was motioning for him to join her.

Junior jogged over to the group and when he arrived, he couldn't help but notice that some of the boys were laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Don't mind these guys," she dismissed before looking back at him with excitement, "aren't you hyped up for today?"

"Nope," he shook his head unenthusiastically as the blonde sighed.

"Hey Mikasa," Eren said as she walked towards him and Armin, "glad you could make it."

"Of course I was going to be here," Mikasa responded as she stopped next to them, "Erwin wouldn't let me sit it out."

"hmm, you refer to him so casually," Armin pointed out before continuing, "don't you think you should be more formal now that we'll be soldiers?"

The woman gained a blank expression for a moment before speaking, "I suppose you're right," she started before looking at junior in the distance, "even if he's the godfather to my kids, I should be professional with him from now on."

"W-What!" Eren said with a shocked look on his face, "I thought I was their godfather?"

"And you thought Levi would be okay with that?" she asked the brunette who looked hurt. She then tried to cheer him up, "look on the bright side, you're still their uncle. I mean… they love you."

Eren then sighed in defeat, "stop lying. Junior never acknowledges me, Dean always calls me out and Marie always calls me a dirty man," he then groaned, "the only one that actually likes me is Daniel—or is it Dean? Did I mix them up?" he was while the other adults rolled their eyes.

"Best godfather award goes to the guy that can't even identify his own godchildren," Armin commented but before Eren could retort, a loud voice called out.

"Attention!" Hange shouted, catching everyone's attention. The air went dead silent as everyone stood and looked at the woman before them, waiting for her to speak. Hange then grinned as she observed the crowd in front of her, a look of contemplation on her face. Everyone watched her with confused faces before Levi smacked the back of her head.

"Focus, shitty glasses," he scowled at her.

The brunette then sighed before speaking, "alright everyone. Welcome to the Survey Corps. I'm Hange Zoe and together with my associate, we'll be training you from now on."

Mumbles came from the crowd and the scientist managed to get a few people passing comments about how ridiculous she looked and sounded. She ignored them and continued to speak, "Now, your training will be practical and theoretical. This means that sometimes you'll be taught in a classroom and other times out here until you graduate."

"Now, we wish to get two groups from this crop of trainees," she started, "we need about fifteen people to be under the Titan Science section, while the rest of you will be Scouts."

"What's the difference?" a short, dark skinned man with a shaven head, asked.

Hange's eyes beamed with excitement as she loved the chance to explain, "the Titan Science section will be responsible for carrying out research on the beasts. We won't have to go out on expeditions unless of course there's need for more research evidence. We'll spend most of our time at the labs," she then took in another breath before speaking, "The Scouts will be in charge of going out on expeditions and facing the titans head on."

People went on about how they'd rather have the position under research than scouts and Hange chuckled at this, knowing how critical she'd be when deciding who'd be in what group. She then decided to make it known, "now, you will all undergo serious training in several aspects of your abilities and this is what will be used to assign you positions. You will not choose to be scientists; you have to be picked."

She then chuckled as the people started talking about her statement. She then looked back at Levi, "why don't we find out who they are?"

The short man then nodded before casually walking in front of the trainees with his hands in his pockets, "alright, listen up!" he started as everyone tuned their attention towards him. He rolled his eyes before speaking, "The name's Levi Ackerman and like shitty glasses said, I'll be one of your trainers. Now, we don't know who the fuck any of you are so when I walk up to you, you state your name and where you're from."

He then walked in front of the first person, "Name!"

"Eren Jaeger, sir!" Eren said while saluting fiercely, obviously trying too hard to play the soldier role.

"From where?"

"What…" Eren asked, confusedly looking down at him.

"Tch! where do you live, idiot?"

"O-Oh, I come from Shiganshina Boulevard," he responded nervously while looking down at the shorter man who glared up at him. "I assure you that I'm going to graduate at the top of the class!" he said, trying to get on Levi's good side. He already had it planned out. Helping out, extra training and making sure to graduate in first position.

"You know; you remind me of a recruit I met back in the army. He was quite the popular guy in the barracks," Levi started as though recalling a pleasant memory.

"Was he popular because of his enthusiasm?" Eren asked, hoping he had finally impressed his brother-in-law.

"He tried too hard to be on everyone's good side. He would always try to help out, try to impress everyone through extra training and setting his mind on graduating first place," Levi explained as Eren felt he had planned right. Levi then held a small frown, "alas, the guy gained a lot of unwanted attention and ended being anally raped every night. He was dismissed as soon as he couldn't walk anymore."

"I did not see that coming," Eren said as he felt all his chances crumble before him. the short man then walked to the next person.

"Name!"

"Armin Arlert of Shiganshina Boulevard!" Armin responded with a salute. His eyes avoided all forms of eye contact as he didn't want to go through what Eren just went through.

"And what do we have here?" Levi asked as he walked and stood in front of his wife.

"Mikasa Ackerman of New Sina Town!"

Levi had to admit that he felt a hint of nostalgia at that time. Memories of their time in the army briefly flowed through his mind. He then felt himself smirk as he thought of trying to push her buttons. "Alright Ackerman, what are you doing here?"

Trying her best not to roll her eyes, Mikasa kept a straight face before responding, "I'm here to join the Survey Corps, sir!"

"The Survey Corps, huh?" he asked before looking her up and down, "you know the force isn't a place for little girls right?"

"Yes, I do sir!" she responded, "I'm actually wondering how they let you in, sir!" her last comment erupted in gasps from the crowd. Mikasa almost smirked when she noticed the shorter man's eyebrow twitch but she held herself together.

"Heh," he chuckled spitefully before trying to get at her again, "alright, Ackerman. Just so you know… the fight you're joining is against titans; the ugliest fuckers you'll ever meet," he continued, "when you look into their faces, you'll be left with nightmares for the rest of your sorry life. So Ackerman…" he leaned in, closer, "do you think you can handle that?"

"That's no problem sir!" she responded, "their faces probably won't compete with ugly faces I see every morning." He last statement caused an eruption of chuckles, giggles and sniggers to feel the background ambience, "and they get worse with each passing day."

Mikasa bit her lip as she held back her smirk when Levi scowled at her. If there was one thing she would have fun with during her service, it was bashing Levi and it never ceased to satisfy her.

"And what do those ugly faces look like?" he asked, unamused by her antics.

"Well sir, if you carefully sneak into the nearest rest room and take a look into a mirror, you'll see for yourself," she commented as the crowd was now in full blown laughter.

"I swear this isn't over," Levi admitted defeat as he walked away from her smirking at him. He then continued to look at the recruits until he stopped in front of another one.

"Historia Reiss, from Shiganshina Boulevard, sir!" she said as she saluted. Feeling the urge to, she glanced in her husband's direction and met eyes with him for a moment before he looked away, hiding the pained look on his face. She then flinched when she noticed the glare Mikasa gave her.

She let out a small pout before looking back ahead of her and saw that Levi was still staring at her with the same amused look as before. Growing a bit uncomfortable, she decided to ask, "is anything wrong, sir?"

Levi then let out a sigh as though he were satisfied, "I like you. You're a respectful woman," he said before patting her head and moving onto the next person.

"You shouldn't even be so proud of yourself, Shorty," Mikasa mumbled as she knew exactly why he did what he did. She then looked at Eren and a look of concern was on her face, "are you alright?" she asked before the brunette slowly nodded in response.

"Alright," Levi started after everyone had introduced themselves, "now that we're acquainted with each other, you should know that it's time for your first training exercise. You're all going to find partners and spar. I need to know how much combat training you'll all need," he explained.

"What if you're too hungry to spar?" A brunette woman, Sasha, asked as she looked at the crushed potato on the ground. Unfortunately, snacks weren't allowed on the training grounds.

"I don't care about your hunger," Levi responded before checking his shoes for any potato mush. He then looked back at the crowd, "come on, let's get to work!"

The crowd of people began to organise themselves into pairs as they began their sparring matches. It looked like a huge mess as many of the people barely knew what they were doing.

The two trainers stood together as they watched the recruits throw hits at each other. "This is embarrassing to watch," Levi grumbled at the disaster in front of them. He noticed the man that introduced himself as Connie running into a group of people, sending them all to the ground. Were these really the people that volunteered to risk their lives?

"It's not all that bad," Hange responded as she typed on her phone. She then looked away from it and noticed Irene taking down one of her opponents, "Irene sure is determined," she said before smiling, "she's like a mini Erwin."

"I can agree with you on that," Levi responded before noticing Junior sneaking around, avoiding any fighting, "Tch! Erwin always gets the good stuff," he started, "he has the looks, the brains, the skill and even a badass kid. All I get is some slacker that jerks, LARPs and blogs."

"Don't underestimate him," Hange responded before deciding to call out, "Hey Levi! Come here!"

"Don't notice me…" Junior said as he maneuvered through the crowd. He was not going to get his hands dirty when he didn't even know how to throw a decent punch. All he needed to do was to make sure he avoided everyone until they were told to stop.

"Hey Levi, come here!" he heard Hange call. His plans of staying low-key were ruined. He then groaned before making his way towards the trainers.

"How can I help you?" he panted as he came to a stop in front of them. He silently prayed they hadn't noticed him hiding.

"You haven't fought anyone yet," Hange pointed out as she adjusted her visor, "what's the matter?"

"Actually, I just realised that the military just isn't for me," he explained while scratching the back of his head.

Hange then gained a concerned look, "Is it because you're intimidated by these guys?" she asked before putting her hand on his shoulder, "you know you can tell your aunt Hange anything. If these guys are giving you a hard time, then we can let you go."

"Well…" Junior started. This was his chance to bail. Before he could finish, he noticed his father staring at him with his normal deadpan look and he felt the guilt rising within him. He forgot the actual reason he joined the army, "actually, I was just kidding. Hah!" he laughed before the adults gave him weird looks. "I was just fooling around. I can't believe I got you guys…heh."

He then cleared his throat, "Don't worry. These guys don't scare me one bit," he said nervously before a buff man with blonde spiky hair fell on the ground beside him, making him yelp.

"Oh really, Ackerman?" Levi started, "then why haven't you fought anyone yet?"

"O-Oh, none of these guys seems worth my time," he responded before puffing out his chest, "I need a real challenge. Not a novice."

"That's great to hear," Hange boomed while sporting a wide grin with her usual hyper self, back in, "why don't you challenge someone up front? They're probably better than whoever's back there."

"Oh yeah," Junior responded before looking at the people in the front. He needed to find someone that he knew wasn't going to put up much of a fight against him. He looked at each and every person until he realised. Only one person that was probably incapable of bringing him any pain. His mother. "I'll take her on," he said proudly, pointing at Mikasa, who was taking a breather.

The adults shared a look before Hange spoke up, "…are you sure? There are so many people out here…"

"I'm sure," Junior said as he lumbered himself up, "she may be a cop but the only fights she's good at involve getting the twins to bed." He looked at his mother once again. Once he was done with her, he'd be free to do whatever he wanted.

"Le…" Hange was about to discourage but stopped when Levi covered her mouth.

"Alright, Ackerman," he started, "if you want a fight, you've got it." He then looked in Mikasa's direction, "Ackerman! Get over here!"

Mikasa made her way over to where her trainers and son stood. Had he gotten in trouble on his first day? "what's the matter?"

"You're going to spar with me, next," Junior pointed out confidently before getting into a fighting stance, "come on Mikasa. I don't have all day."

"What's happening?" Mikasa asked the two adults as she looked at them. She was hoping she wouldn't have to face her son of all people.

"He wanted to fight you," Hange explained, the look of fear for the boy was evident in her eyes. She then grinned, "I can't wait to see if your abilities re genetically inherent.

"Mikasa, come on…" Junior said as he bounced like a boxer. He really seemed ready for her.

Mikasa only sighed before facing him with her casual stance. She didn't want to do it but she didn't want to waste his time. "No mercy. Don't let him beat you if you want him to toughen up," she heard her husband say as they watched them. A group of the people had stopped to watch.

'This is in the bag,' Junior thought as he looked at her mother's face. She looked hesitant, which was good for him. This was an advantage, or so he thought, "I'm coming!" he said before he took a deep breath and lunged at his mother with a fist held high. Unfortunately, he missed after she casually sidestepped.

"Okay, no problem. it was just my first time," he assured himself before rushing at her again. He closed his eyes before swing his fist.

"What the?" he asked after opening his eyes to lock them with Mikasa's expressionless ones. She held his arm in her hand.

"My turn," she said before socking him square in the face, sending him stumbling backwards. She then rushed at him and kneed him in the gut, forcing him to gag but before he could vomit, she landed a spinning kick against his jaw, sending him flying onto the ground as everyone gasped.

Junior felt immense pain on the regions he was hit as he fell onto the ground. This was not what he expected. He looked back at his mother and saw her with her deadpan look. She was looking less and less like his mother by the second. Suddenly, he felt his stomach hurt before he turned and began to release breakfast's contents onto the soil.

"Oh no…" Mikasa gasped as she snapped back to her senses. She had just brutally beaten her child. All her warrior instincts were immediately overshadowed by her maternal ones before she rushed over to his side and knelt next to him, "I'm so sorry sweetie," she said as she rested his head on her lap before stroking his hair. She felt herself burn with guilt as she watched him writhe in pain.

"Ackerman, let's avoid showing too much affection to other soldiers," Levi started from where he stood, his face showing no concern whatsoever, "he blindly chose to challenge you and he got what he deserved. You did the right thing."

Mikasa then snapped back at her husband, "Levi, in case you've forgotten, this soldier is your son."

"Formalities, recruit," Levi responded with the same demeanour, "family matters remain off the training grounds," he continued before finishing, "besides, you're only toughening him up."

Mikasa was about to respond when another person flew and landed right next to her. She looked to her side and she felt her heart move when she realised it was Eren that was tossed. "Eren, are you alright?" she asked as her eyes darted around for the one that could have hurt him.

Her eyes finally found their target. A short woman with blonde hair, tied back while a fringe was draped over the right side of her face. She was dressed in white, hooded sweat shirt over a pair of blue jeans and white trainers. She calmly walked towards where Eren lay but stopped when Mikasa stood up defensively.

The woman wasn't there for the introductions. She must have come in later. Mikasa felt her body tense up as she locked her silver eyes with the woman's blue ones.

"Mikasa… I'm okay," Eren tried to say but was silenced by the Ackerman's hand. He sighed after realised that she had gotten into over-protective mode. A mode that had been there since childhood.

"No, Eren, you're not okay," she said before taking a few steps towards the woman. The whole crowd had stopped to watch what was transpiring. She stopped when a few feet separated the two of them, "who are you?" she asked with a glare at the woman's expressionless face.

"Why does it matter to you?" she responded, confidently. She appeared to show no fear at the sight of Mikasa's threatening posture.

"I don't know what's happening but I love it," Hange said in excitement. She, like everyone else, could sense that the newcomer was very powerful, judging by the way she carried herself. Meanwhile, Levi passed a suspicious look at Eren before eventually shifting his gaze to the two women.

"It matters because you just hurt my brother," she responded, "who are you to do that?"

"I'm here to be a soldier," she started, "not to answer questions. Not especially if they're coming from something like you."

"Thing?" Mikasa growled, slightly offended, "you just called me a thing?"

"Well, I can tell you're not a normal person," she started.

Mikasa's face then darkened as she glared at the blonde. Her body was literally aching to give this woman a beating she'd never forget, "maybe this thing can teach you a lesson for hurting those that mean a lot to me."

"Why not?" she said before getting into a fighting stance. Her fists were held out in front of her as she kept her eyes on Mikasa. Everyone silently waited for the fight to commence. They all knew that it was going to be brutal to watch.

A few minutes had passed before Mikasa lunged at the blonde. In a swift movement, she barely dodged her attacker for a moment before they stared each other down. Everything seemed to be moving slowly before they both landed fists in each other's jaws, sending them both back.

The blonde woman briefly nursed her jaw before dashing at Mikasa with the former also charging, both of them moving quickly before they landed their attacks.

"That's enough, you two," Levi said as he stood between the two of them. His right hand holding back the blonde woman's fist while the rest of his body held Mikasa back, "these are friendly spars, no killing each other involved," he explained as the women pulled away from him.

"What happened?" he asked his wife, who only scoffed before walking away, "why's she mad at me, now?" he asked himself as he watched her storm off. He then turned to face the blonde woman, "after making such a grand entrance, you owe us an introduction."

"I'm guessing you're the one in charge around here," she started while looking up at him. she then looked him up and down, "I expected you to be bigger."

"Tch! I'm bigger in more ways than one," he responded casually before asking, "name?"

"Anne Leonhart, sir," she responded.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that, Annie?"

"My father was a master of the martial arts. He trained me as a child," she explained.

Levi looked at the woman and he had to admit that he was impressed that she seemed to be able to face Mikasa. She showed promise.

"Levi, you're staring," Hange pointed out, forcing the man out of his trance.

"Welcome recruit," he said, offering his hand, "we could use someone with your skill around here."

"Thank you, sir," she responded before shaking it.

After the gesture, Levi turned to the rest of the crowd, "Alright, that's enough for the day. You can go back to your dorms!" he announced before most of the recruits started to leave the area. He then turned to Annie, "you can join the ladies in the girls' dorm."

"Alright," Annie nodded before following the women, leaving Hange and Levi together.

"She's a tough one, huh?" Hange grinned as she rested her arm on Levi's shoulder, "Training these guys is going to be awesome."

"Yeah, whatever," Levi shrugged off her arm. "Anyway, I have an angry wife to deal with so I'll catch you later." With that, he walked off.

* * *

Levi finally arrived at his quarters. He braced himself before turning the knob and entering the room. He stepped in and glanced around. She was nowhere in sight, "where is she?" he asked himself as he scanned the room.

His eyes then landed on the ground where he noticed her discarded clothes lying, "Tch! Just because she's angry doesn't mean she should mess the room up," he groaned before picking up the clothes and carefully folding them. He placed them in the laundry basket. His eyes started to look around for any other messes she had made.

He immediately grabbed a broom and began to sweep the floor, making sure to get every single bit of soil that may have entered the room with Mikasa. After he was done, he proceeded to wipe his desk because he somehow managed to see dust on it. He was in full blown cleaning mode.

The door to the bathroom opened, revealing Mikasa in a towel. She dried her hair as she walked into the room, ignoring her husband's presence.

"Hey," Levi tried to greet but was ignored completely. He then proceeded to walk towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her close to him, "come on beautiful, talk to me," he purred before elevated himself using his toes and planted a few kisses on her neck.

Mikasa's only response was to shove him back and continue to get back to her business. She was not in the mood for him.

"Mikasa, come on…" he started but still got no response. He felt himself growing annoyed by her actions, "Mikasa, what's going on?" he asked, now demanding a response.

Mikasa only glanced back at him before she started to put on her underwear. She could sense that he was getting angry.

"Mikasa, what did I do?" he asked while holding his hands out in front of him, "why are you mad at me?" he asked but got no response. He felt his temper begin to rise, "Tch! You're an adult for fuck's sake! Quit being so childish and talk!"

"I'm mad at you because you were okay with me brutalising our son!" Mikasa snapped back.

"Mikasa, he wants to join the military so he needs to be toughened up. He needed that!" Levi responded.

"He needs the right amount of training from the right people of the right skill level."

"Who better to train him than his own parents?"

"Levi, you know very well that Junior can barely defend himself against his younger brothers," she started, "putting him to face people like you and me is just not safe for him."

"The boy is an Ackerman. He should be able to hold his own by now!" Levi responded, "it's because of you babying him for all 16 years of life that he's grown into the pathetic nerd he is right now!" Levi felt himself get shocked by what he just said. He also noticed Mikasa's eyes narrow at him dangerously.

"You're a horrible person, Levi," Mikasa said as she slowly shook her head, "I should've known before I said, yes to you."

"I'm a horrible person, now?"

"Levi, you watched your brother-in-law get tossed around like some ragdoll and you didn't even give a shit about his safety," Mikasa pointed out.

"Well excuse me for not saving a grown man from a small woman," Levi rolled his eyes before continuing, "it's because of you being over-protective of him that led him to grow into the careless loser he is now, with his struggling marriage."

"Wow…" Mikasa's voice shook, "I think he and I will have another thing in common soon."

Levi's eyes widened by her statement. This was not where he expected things to go, "Mikasa, wait…"

Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing Daniel breathing heavily.

"Daniel what…" Mikasa started but stopped when she noticed he had tears in his eyes, "sweetie what's wrong?" she asked before the boy rushed into her arms and began to bawl his eyes out on her shoulder. She glanced over at her husband with a look of worry in her eyes.

"Let's… sit down," Levi suggested as they all sat on the bed. He then leaned in, "Daniel, what's the matter?" he asked as the child still sobbed onto his mother's shoulder.

"Danny, come on," Mikasa gently urged, "tell daddy and me what the matter is."

They sat in silence with the only sound being his sobs. His mother gently rubbed his back while resting her chin on his shoulder. She was growing concerned. She didn't want another of their children to end up depressed. No, she couldn't bear the thought. She felt her eyes sting.

Levi quickly noticed the situation and rested his hand on her shoulder, "don't worry, everything will be okay," he said, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Guys…" Daniel finally spoke, catching his parent's attention.

"What is it dear," Mikasa asked before the boy pulled his face back so that he could look at the both of them. Levi instantly got to work and wiped away his tears.

The boy's lips quivered as he thought. It was like he was trying hard to find the best way to say something.

"Don't be afraid to tell us anything, Daniel," Levi started, "we're here for you."

"I killed someone."

**Alright guys. That was chapter 6. Barely any changes but I hoped you enjoyed it. Anyways, we best move on.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. That was all for the edits to the old chapters. I'm here with a completely new chapter for you guys. I really you all for the support and everything. Anyway, why don't we check on the twins have been up to?**

**Warning: this chapter has content that may be upsetting to some readers. **

"What?!" Levi and Mikasa half-yelled in unison. Both had mildly shocked expressions on their faces. Neither expected their ten-year old to say something like that.

"Don't be mad. I-I… just…" he trembled as he spoke. His breathing was out of control as he panicked, trying to explain himself.

"Daniel, calm down," Mikasa said while holding his shoulders. She then urged her husband to scoot, creating a space between them. She then ushered the boy to sit between the two of them. "Compose yourself."

Daniel nodded as he tried to steady his breathing. He closed his eyes as his parents watched him try and gather the right words. What was he going to say? Explaining how you killed someone wasn't anything easy to say. After failing to speak, he just shook his head.

"Okay, Danny," Levi was the one to speak, forcing the boy to look at him, "since you can't seem to pull it together, why don't you tell us what you were up to today?"

"Well…" he started, recalling the activities before he came crying to his parents.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Hah, catch me if you can!" Dean yelled as he ran down the busy street, his brother right behind him.

"Slow down!" Daniel called after him, trying his best to catch up. They may have been twins but like all twins, they had their differences and stamina was one of them.

The twins were headed towards the play park they had been going to since they arrived at the fort.

Daniel finally came to a stop next to his brother and began to pant heavily while his brother patted his back.

"You're still as slow as ever," Dean smirked before glancing around, deciding on what they were going to play on. "Hey dude, let's do an obstacle course."

"Aw…but you… always come first," Daniel panted while looking at his brother. He wasn't interested in losing again.

"No shit, Sherlock," Dean snorted, smugly as his brother got a shocked look on his face.

"Dean, mom said no cussing!" he reprimanded while looking around as though said woman would jump out of nowhere.

"Quit being a wuss," Dean responded, "mom's not here so we don't have to do what she says."

"No, Dean," Daniel started, "Mom said that we should always remember what she says even when she isn't around."

"So what," he spat, coldly. He showed no remorse on his face, "it's not like she'll find out. Just loosen up already."

Daniel let his shoulders fall as he sighed in defeat. Maybe Dean was right. He did need to loosen up, "Okay fine."

"Good," Dean nodded before running towards the monkey bars, "race started now!"

"Dang it! That's not fair!" Daniel yelled before running after his brother, trying his best to catch up to him.

Dean managed to hop onto the bars and started to weave through them effortlessly while making monkey sounds, "Eep, Eep! I'm the king of the jungle!" he shouted before beating his chest. He then smirked down at his brother, "do you dare challenge me? Eep, Eep!"

Daniel shot back a playful smile before also playing the part, "Of course I will, Ou, Ou, Ou!" he then rushed over to the structure and grabbed onto one of the bars, climbing at a somewhat slower pace than his brother.

Eventually, he did manage to reach a greater height and was almost at eye level with Dean, "Ou, Ou, I will take your jungle!"

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you try!" he shouted before letting out cry similar to an ape and beating his chest.

The twins continued to holler threats at each other while making those noses. Sure it was a weird activity but then, what could they do? They were kids. It was their way of fun.

"Oi! Losers!" a gruff voice called, snapping the twins from their play time.

They found themselves looking down at a group of five other children glaring at them. Dean was the first to speak, "who are you to call us losers?"

"Get off of our stuff!" the owner of the gruff voice, a ginger-haired boy with hazel eyes shouted from below.

"Your stuff!" Dean yelled back, "I don't see your names written on it!"

"Get off of there before we beat the shit out of your asses!" the boy demanded as he and his friends slowly started to walk towards the monkey bars.

Daniel watched as his brother clenched his jaw, figuring out what to say. Those kids looked like trouble and he didn't want anyone to get hurt, "Dean, let's just get down. Dad said we should stay out of trouble."

"Tch! There's no way I'm listening to those punks!" he scoffed before glaring back at the kids, "Step any closer and I swear I'll fuck the whole lot of you up so bad that you wouldn't be able to walk again!" he barked, throwing the kids dangerous look.

The group of kids stopped and froze in surprise. They then shared glances with one another before the boy spoke up, "Okay man, let's not get angry," he started while holding his hands out in front of him, "come down here and let's chat a bit."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Chill bro. we really just wanna chat," he said, "look, even if we do double cross ya, you'll just fuck us up, right?"

"Well…" he saw his brother try to think about it before finally making his decision and jumping off of it.

"Dean, wait up!" Daniel said while trying to get off, only to slip and fall to the ground. "Ow…" he groaned as he looked around. He hoped his brother would come for him but to his surprise, he kept on walking away.

"Okay then," Daniel said before picking himself up and limping after his brother.

"So what did you wanna talk about?" Dean asked after he stopped in front of the group and stuffed his hands in his pockets, maintaining a threatening but bored expression on his face.

"Chill out, big guy," the boy said before patting Dean's arm. He then looked him up and down, "looks like we've got a pair of twin ballers on our hands," he said while looking at their outfits that consisted of grey Adidas t-shirts under grey jackets. Below they wore black jeans and white-based grey high tops. Compared to the simple clothes the other kids wore, they couldn't deny it.

"Listen bro, we run this part of town and we can't just let you guys play around in our park."

"I don't care."

"Shit, okay man, call me AJ," the boy introduced himself before pointing at his friends, "these are my friends, Edwin, Sarah, Tina, and Joseph," he introduced a green eyed brunette, blue eyed red-head, brown eyed black-haired and a blue eyed blonde respectively.

"I'm Dean," he started before motioning backwards, "that's my brother, Daniel."

"Alright Dean, you're badass. I like you," he said before holding out his fist and bumped it with said twin. "Yeah man, respect."

"Yeah…"

"Listen Dean, my friends and I were about to go around town," AJ started, "we're gonna have fun. You should come with us."

"Why should we trust you?" Dean asked once again.

"It's gonna be fun man. I promise," he said assuring, "we're gonna introduce to our favourite hobby."

Daniel watched his brother think about it once again. Sure it sounded interesting but they weren't just going to run off with a bunch of kids they just met.

"Okay man. We'll go," Dean finally decided.

"Wait, we?" Daniel asked before his brother glared back at him.

"We're going…" he growled, forcing the other twin to submit. He then looked back at AJ, "let's get going."

"Alright."

The group of kids found themselves walking through town. Many people went about their business as usual, passing cautious looks at the kids.

"Why are they looking at us like that?" Daniel asked from behind the group. He had noticed the glares they received and felt himself growing very uncomfortable.

"We're quite troublemakers around here," AJ said from up front, "people don't really like us that much so they're very careful when we're around."

"Hmm…" Daniel hummed before walking next to his brother, who seemed to be enjoying their little walk, "Dean, I think we should go. These guys seem like bad news," he whispered.

"No, man. They're cool," he whispered back, "let's just stay."

"B-But mom said…"

"Screw whatever mom said," he spat back, "dude. Quit being a scaredey cat and roll with it."

Daniel was about to respond but he shut up when his brother glared at him. "Okay…" he sighed before continuing to walk with the group. He didn't like the way his brother was acting all of a sudden but he couldn't do anything about it. If he snitched about it, Dean wouldn't spare him.

"Your brother sure isn't up for this huh?" AJ asked Dean as he slowed down to his pace.

"he's just a big baby," he scoffed before looking back at him.

"Hey AJ, what's with the new guys?" a man who was sitting on a doorstep, asked as he sharpened a pair of knives.

"Hey Bruno. These are Dean and Daniel," AJ responded while the twins waved, Daniel more timidly though.

"This isn't a safe place for little clean boys, you could get hurt," Bruno said with his voice deepening after the last part.

"I'm not scared," Dean said confidently.

"Alright then, enjoy your day."

The group continued to walk through the neighbourhood. Occasionally greeting any local they met until they found themselves outside a small shop. It didn't look special because of the scratched up, plain green paint and glass doors.

"What are we doing here?" Dean asked as he looked at the shop, wearing a bored look, "you were supposed to show us your favourite hobby. I sure hope it isn't window shopping."

"Chill out bro," AJ responded before standing in front of everyone, "okay, have you two ever shoplifted before?"

"S-Shoplifted?" Daniel asked, terrified, "we can't…"

"No, but now I want to," Dean said, getting excited, "let's do it."

"Heh, okay man," AJ smirked before glancing around, probably for any authorities. He then leaned closer to them, "when we get in there, just follow our lead. Don't make it obvious."

"Yeah," Dean nodded while slightly bouncing.

"I'll distract the clerk," Joseph offered, causing everyone else to nod.

"Okay, let's move," AJ said before they all walked into the store.

Everyone had casual faces as the entered. "Hey mister, have you seen my dad?" Joseph asked as he started to converse with the clerk.

He was a bald, elderly man with an eyepatch and beard; akin to a pirate.

"No, kid," he responded, "I bet he's just around town."

"No, he left three days ago, saying he went to get the milk."

Daniel nervously looked around as he watched the other kids work. Each of them carefully stuffed things into their pockets as they pretended to be looking at items. A feeling of guilt began to flow through Daniel's body and he slowly began to panic.

His eyes darted around until they landed on his brother, who had stuffed a Mars Bar into his jacket pockets. He then rushed over to him.

"No, Dean, what are you doing?" Daniel whispered while grabbing his brother's arm.

"Shut up Daniel, or you'll bow our cover," Dean growled back.

"Dean stop it," Daniel urged, "stealing is bad."

"Daniel, I said shut up."

"Guys, keep it down," Sarah as she walked passed them. If they weren't careful they'd be exposed.

"Daniel, just be quiet okay," Dean said before grabbing another snack bar.

Daniel couldn't help but feel hurt by his brother. He couldn't believe he was stealing right now after all those times their parents had warned them about that and they would both nod and smile at their parents in agreement.

Did that mean, Dean had been pretending in front of their parents? Sure he was always the naughtier one but still, he would never go out and steal. It wasn't right and it wasn't him. Daniel had to put his foot down and correct him immediately.

"Dean, put that back," Daniel ordered.

"What?" Dean asked while glaring at him, "you can't tell me what to do."

"I said put it back," Daniel said before grabbing his brother's arm and prying the snack bar out of his hands.

"Quit it," Dean responded as they struggled, both gritting their teeth and glaring daggers.

"Daniel, let go," Dean growled at his brother before his eyes widened, "I know that face… don't you dare."

"Hey, stop stealing!" Daniel shouted, the other kids glaring at him.

"Hey, so that's what you've been up to?" the clerk said before grabbing a baseball bat, "I swear you'll be sorry!"

"Shit guys, let's go!" AJ said before dashing out of the store with the other kids following.

"Thanks a lot," Dean glared at his brother before running after the other kids, leaving Daniel frozen in place.

"So, you thought you could just walk in here and steal from me?" the clerk asked as walked towards Daniel, readying his baseball bat.

"S-Sir, I…" he started as fear began to envelop him. He was cornered by a mean looking man with a baseball bat that was probably going to be used to hit him. He didn't want to spend his day like this. He just wanted to have fun with his brother in the park.

"Sir, I-I'm sorry…" he whined as his breathing intensified and tears began to roll down his cheeks. Hopefully the man would have mercy on him.

"Hey little guy, don't cry," the man said as his features softened, raising Daniel's hope. "Heh…" he chuckled before gained a facial expression of malice, "I've always wanted to beat up one of you stupid kids." With that, he raised the bat and prepared to strike.

Daniel felt himself shrink as he looked up at the man looming over him with his smirk, holding the baseball bat in place as he looked down at him, as though allowing him time to regret his actions. If only he had stayed in the park.

The man lowered the bat and thrust forwards, jabbing Daniel in the stomach and sending him onto the ground with a loud thud.

"Ow!" he cried as he clenched his abdomen. It was ten times worse than the footballs he received to the gut, daily and it was just increasing his every minute.

"You ain't felt nothing yet," the clerk said before kicking the young boy's stomach with more force than the bat. He really was getting a kick out of beating up a kid. He then groaned in disgust when a bit of puke escaped his mouth, "you planning on ruining my floor kid?"

Daniel, only moaned in pain was he closed his eyes, enduring the pain. All he wanted was to go back home to his old neighbourhood, his old house with family. He then felt the man grab and lift him up by his hair. It was painful but not as painful as the blows to his stomach.

He opened his eyes and met the man's crooked ones. It looked like he wasn't done with him yet but he wanted it to stop. He just wanted to go, "p-please sir, let me go…"

The man only smirked back at him, "poor little boy, you think saying please will let you get whatever you want?"

"Mom and dad said I should always say please no matter what," Daniel boldly defended, despite still being in pain.

"Hah, and where are your parents now?" he asked before mockingly looking around, "I don't think they're here to congratulate you for being the best little boy ever."

"Mom said, I don't have to be a good boy for show," Daniel still defended but winced when the man tightened his hold on his hair. He then continued, "she said I need to be a good boy because that's who I am. If your parents didn't tell you that then boohoo!" he shouted before he lost footing and was thrown against the wall.

"Ow…" he groaned as he held his head. He was now hurting in two places. He looked up at the man and saw him gritting his teeth as though deciding on what next to do with him.

"You kids these days are always lied to," the man said bitterly.

"What do you mean?"

"Parents these days always fill their children with so much bullshit it's sickening," he started, "always telling their kids to be nice and say please… ugh! That's the fucking problem with society these days!" he shouted with a frustrated tone, "that's why kids are always growing up to be such pathetic sissies."

"I'm not a sissy!" Daniel yelled back, only to be smacked across the face, "Ah!" he yelled as he held his cheek and looked up at the man glaring down at him. He had already shed enough tears so all he could do was pant.

"Back in my day, kids weren't allowed to yell at their elders yet society has failed again," he complained, "admit it kid. Your parents have done a terrible job."

"N-No they haven't…" he stuttered while looking up at him. He didn't like what the man was saying about the people that had spent so much time caring for him. the people that had devoted a lot of their time to making sure that he, along with his siblings, were given all the care and attention they needed. No, this wasn't right.

"Your parents failed!" he yelled. It seemed to have taken a lot out of him as he started panting. He closed his eyes for a moment as though he were trying to gather himself.

"N-No…"

The man opened his eyes after he heard the sound of sobbing. He looked down and saw Daniel crying below him. He then scoffed before turning around and walking away from him, mumbling something incomprehensible.

Daniel whimpered as he watched the man walk away. His parents weren't failures. He knew they weren't. All he wanted was to see them again and he needed to go.

Suddenly, the door to the shop opened, and a figure rushed towards the man and punched him square in the face.

"Dean!" Daniel yelled as he sat up. He felt himself warm up at the fact that his brother came back for him, "you came back…"

"Why you little…" the man responded before grabbing the boy and struggling to hold him down. He was putting up quite a fight and the man was barely keeping it together.

"I'm back for you, bro" Dean yelled as he was trying to escape the man's grasp, "run while I keep this geezer busy."

"Dean don't…" Daniel grunted as he struggled to stand but fell right back down with a humph. He didn't want his brother to get beaten up too.

"Ouch!"

Daniel watched as he saw his brother cover his eye. The old man punched him and was slowly going back for more. Without realising, Daniel was back on his feet, clenching his fists and he glared at the man. There was no way he was going to let his brother get beaten up. He had had enough of this old man.

"Stop…" Daniel released a growl directed at the man but it had fallen on deaf ears as he had picked Dean up and was strangling him.

Daniel felt his blood boil as his eyes narrowed. His breathing hastened as he watched Dean struggle. That man had insulted him, his parents and now he was trying to beat up his brother. No, that wasn't right. "stop…" he growled again. No, it needed to stop.

Suddenly, he felt a spark in his head that turned into a blast of energy that surged throughout his body, passing through every inch of him. Felt the world around him spinning fast and it made him feel a bit dizzy.

Eventually, the spinning stopped and everything fell into place. He felt confident, powerful and he knew exactly what to do.

"I said stop!" he yelled before dashing at the man. All his anger, pushing him forward.

"What the…" the man said when Daniel jumped onto him and started hitting him. He then let go of Dean and began to struggle with the nightmare holding onto him, "what are you doing?" he asked as he defended himself. He then made eye contact with the child and gained a spooked expression, "what are you?"

In a swift movement, Daniel was back on his feet and the man flew into a few shelves. But he wasn't done. He then rushed at him with his fist held high.

The old man shook his head and managed to see Daniel a split second before he punched him and held his fist back, "stupid child," he said before lifting him off the ground forcing him to flail his legs around, "you can't beat a grown ma…ah!" he was cut off when the boy head-butted him.

Daniel landed on the ground with a grunt before hopping onto the man's chest and began to through barrage of hard punches, "don't you ever bad mouth my family!" he roared as he threw punch after punch, scratch after scratch until he was satisfied.

He then felt his breathing calm down and realised that they were on the ground. "That sure showed him right, Dean?" he asked before looking at his brother, who had a shocked look on his face, "what's wrong?"

"H-He's dead," Dean gasped, "I think you killed him, Daniel."

"What…" Daniel asked as he turned back to look at the old man who was knocked out blow him. His face was bloodied and he was missing a few teeth. He gasped at this.

He then looked at his hands that were also bathed in blood of whom he wasn't sure belonged to. He felt himself start to tremble. He was the one trying to correct his brother about cursing and stealing yet here he was having murdered a person. He was a murderer. He didn't know what to do. Did he need to turn himself into the police? Did he need to go back to his parents? He didn't want to go to jail? Only bad guys went to jail. He wasn't a bad guy…right?

"Okay man let's just…" Dean started before his brother faced him, "Danny?"

"I'm going to jail!" Daniel panicked.

"Wait, Danny, calm down…" Dean started but Daniel had already started crying, "don't cry."

"Mommy!" he yelled before dashing out of the shop, leaving his brother dumbfounded.

**End of Flashback**

* * *

"That's what happened to me today," he finished explaining before looking at his parents who had wide eyes looking at him. Great, they were angry, "listen I…"

"He hurt you?" Mikasa gasped before quickly throwing off his jacket and t-shirt to inspect his bruised abdomen. She gasped when she saw the red marks and ran her fingers across the swelling skin. "a-are you okay?" she asked as her breathing intensified, she was struggling to keep it together.

"Yeah, it hurts a little but I'll be fine," he explained as he watched his mother clench her jaw. She was struggling to keep it together, "mom, don't worry I'm okay."

"How can I not worry when you're hurt?" she said between her teeth. She then turned to face her husband, "Levi, we need to find that asshole right now. I swear I'm going to tear apart his corpse for laying a hand on my son."

"Mikasa, relax."

"How can I relax when did this to our son?" she asked while pointing at Daniel's swollen stomach, "first Junior and now Daniel? I'm actually wondering if you still give a damn about your kids."

"Mikasa, please. Not this again," he tried to dismiss. This certainly wasn't the time for them to be fighting, especially after they were doing it before Daniel walked in.

"But…"

"Mikasa, calm down!" Levi raised his voice, silencing his wife. He then continued to speak, "I'm upset about this just as much as you are but there's no way I'm letting you defile a corpse." He then took a deep breath, "what we need to do right now is find Dean."

"You're right. I-I'm sorry for over-reacting," she sighed, feeling a bit of guilt. She then pulled Daniel into a tight hug, "where do you think we should start?" she asked before Levi's phone started to ring.

"Tch! The nerve of these people," he grumbled before pulling phone out of his pocket and bringing it to his ear, "the hell is this?"

Mikasa and Daniel watched as Levi spoke on the phone. His face went from mildly annoyed to slightly shocked and even more annoyed. He then cut the call, "what's the matter?"

"Dean's at the police station," he said before getting up, "get dressed, we need to get going."

* * *

"I'm glad you could make it, Mr. and Mrs Ackerman," a man with short, blonde hair said to the couple. He wore the same uniform as the guards in the area so he must've been an officer.

"Listen, Mr…" Levi started.

"Hannes."

"I don't care," he said before continuing, "I just came here for my son. So I'd appreciate if you'd just bring him out and we can go."

"Sorry sir but we can't just let you go so easily," Hannes explained from his desk, "we need to address the matter alongside Mr. Klaus."

"Who's Mr. Klaus?" Mikasa asked as she adjusted Marie on her lap. They had stopped to pick her up from the day care on their way to the station.

"He's the owner of the shop your son was caught shoplifting," Hannes explained, "i-is everything alright?" he asked when he noticed the couple share a look.

"He's alive?" Mikasa asked, she felt her anger slowly start to brew.

"Yes he is," Hannes answered, "though he was pretty banged up when we found him."

Suddenly the door opened, revealing the shop clerk with a few bandages around his face.

"Ah, speak of the devil, that's him," Hannes said before waving at the man. He then looked back at the couple, who had glared daggers in the man's direction.

"Daniel?"

"Yes dad?" Daniel asked as he looked at his father.

"Take Marie outside with you," Levi said before retrieving the toddler from Mikasa and handing her to him.

"Okay…" he said started as he lifted his sister, "but why do I have to go outside?"

"We're about to have adult talk," Mikasa responded, not taking her eyes off of the man.

"Okay," the boy said before walking towards the exit. Mr. Klaus staggered out of the way in fear of the child, allowing him out of the room.

"I hope Mr. Klaus is okay," Daniel said while looking down at his sister, quietly poking his chest. He then decided to put her down and squat in front of her "why aren't you talking Marie?"

The little girl only proceeded to shift her foot on the ground as she kept her gaze low, not seeming to be interested in speaking.

Daniel then placed his hand under her chin and tilted it so that she would look at him, "Marie, why aren't you talking? Why won't you talk to your big brother?" He locked his silver eyes with hers that were showed how much she was holding back.

"Marie, I'm your friend, right?" Daniel asked her and she nodded in his palm. That wasn't enough for him, "I'm your friend right?" he asked once again, getting a nod from him. no, that still wasn't enough, "you're my friend, right?"

"Y-Yes," she finally spoke, getting a smile from her brother.

"I'm your friend too," he responded, "now will you tell me what's wrong?"

"Okay," she nodded before explaining, "I'm scared of the monsters," she started, her small voice cracking a bit as her brother listened closely, "I'm scared that they'll find me and eat me."

"Why didn't you tell anyone, then?" Daniel asked, wondering why she had been quiet about it.

"Mommy and daddy are really sad when I don't talk and that makes me sad," he said as her face fell into a frown, "if I tell them I'm scared then they'll be more sadder and…" her voice cracked as a few tears rolled down her cheeks, "I don't want to make them sad."

Following his first instinct, Daniel pulled her into hug as she let her little sobs be muffled by the fabrics of his shirt. He then began to stroke her back, "When you talked, I was happy, you saw that right?" he asked and she nodded against his chest, "good, so when you talk, mom and dad will be really happy too. They're only sad because you're not talking to them."

He then pulled her back and looked her in the eyes, "don't worry about the monster okay. If anything's bothering you, don't hesitate to tell your big brother. I'm really strong and won't let the monsters hurt you," he said while flexing his right bicep, making a ridiculous face while doing so.

"You look like a monkey when you do that," Marie chuckled at his face, earning a smile from him.

"Okay, I'm glad you're smiling again," he chuckled before speaking, "now promise me you'll smile for everyone else," he said as she nodded. He then pointed in the direction of the door, "when mom and dad come out of the door, you're gonna smile right?"

"Yes, I will."

As if on cue, the door to the office opened revealing Dean stumbling out of the room.

"Dean, I can't believe you would do that," Mikasa started as she walked up and stood in front of him, "When did I ever teach you to steal?" she asked as Dean only shrugged as he crossed his arms.

"Tch! Dean, stop being a brat and answer your mother," Levi butt in, clearly annoyed by his son, judging by the scowl on his face.

Dean tried his best to block out the yelling from his parents. He knew he was wrong but he didn't where to start from. He slowly started to regret brushing his brother off earlier on as he was in his least favourite position right now.

"Mommy, Daddy!" Marie's voice went, catching everyone off guard. Especially the adults.

They both turned and found their daughter running towards them with a big smile.

"Mommy, Daddy!" she yelled as she went and bounced in front of her mother with her arms spread wide.

Mikasa felt her heart drop when she saw her little girl smiling again, calling her with that sweet voice she missed so much . She didn't hesitate to pick her up and give her squeeze which her daughter returned, "I missed you so much."

"I miss you too," she responded before looking around until her eyes landed on her father who stood there watching in awe, his normally hardened features were soft as his jaw hanged agape. "Daddy, come over here," she said, immediately making him rush over and join the hug.

Both adults missed this. They missed having their little girl bounce around, putting smiles on their faces and they thought they had lost her for good. No, their child was back, they didn't know what did the trick but they were grateful and didn't want to question anything. They didn't want to lose their little girl ever again.

"I love you," Marie said as she cuddled with her parents.

"We love you too," they sobbed in union

"Aww, don't cry mommy," she said while wiping her mother's tears away. She then looked to her father, "not you too, daddy."

Dean watched as his parents bear-hugged his sister to death. He was happy that his sister was speaking again and relieved that their attention was shifted away from him. He still needed to apologize.

"Hey," Daniel's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned and found his brother looking at him. Right, he had been a jerk to him the entire day.

"Mom and Dad are so happy," Daniel said while standing beside him, "I've never seen them cry before."

"Danny, I'm sorry."

"What?" Daniel asked as he turned to face his twin. He seemed to be having a hard time thinking.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you," Dean started, his eyes fixated on the ground, "you were just trying to protect me but I blew you off as being a sissy." He then huffed, "I'm sorry." Dean fell silent before his brother spoke.

"It's okay man," Daniel responded as his brother looked up to face him, "you're my bro and bros don't hate each other."

"Heh, I love you, bro," Dean confessed before his brother got a ridiculous grin on his face, "what's with that smile."

"You just said you love me," Daniel spoke, "the big bad Dean Ackerman just said he loves his big brother."

"Shut up," he said before they both chuckled.

"Hey, give me a hug," Daniel said before holding his arms out and his brother walked up to him but when he got close, he immediately pulled his hands back, "Ah, sick!"

Dean's face then went a bright shade of pink, "you jerk, I'm gonna get you!" he yelled before he began to chase his brother around.

**Hey guys. That was the newest chapter of HSF. It was long and I sort of got tired writing it but here it is. I would love to hear what you guys have to say so please… tell me what you think. Also, I would love to thank you guys for staying with the fic and like I said, I don't intend to abandon this work. So please stay tuned for more**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I'm back with another long chapter of HSF. I really appreciate you all for reaching this far into the story because I'm really psyched to be sharing my idea with all of you. Anyways, on with the story.**

"Mommy…"

"Mmm…" Mikasa hummed as she stirred in her sleep, brushing off the voice that called out to her.

"Mommy…"

"Mmm…" she hummed before opening her eyes and meeting Marie's looking down at her. This immediately made her smile as she recalled the previous day's events. "Morning, sweetie," she said before giving her a kiss.

"Morning, mommy," she responded while returning a smile of her own. "How was your night?"

"I had a great night," Mikasa responded before asking, "how was your night?"

"It was crazy but really good…" she responded with a smile.

"Oh really?" Mikasa asked as the girl nodded, "tell me about it."

"Well I had a bit of trouble sleeping because it got really hot so I got out of the covers and tried to sleep. But when I started getting sleepy, daddy started snoring loudly and it got super annoying," she started, getting into the story by actually doing hand gestures, "how do you manage that every night?"

"It doesn't really bother me that much," Mikasa chuckled.

"Nuh uh, it does bother you," Marie shook her head.

"Why do you say that?" Mikasa asked, wondering what her daughter was talking about.

"When daddy started snoring, you started saying stuff about pigs," she started, "that's when you kicked him off the bed and went back to sleep."

Mikasa's face flushed with a bit of embarrassment. She didn't remember doing anything like that at all. She must have been really tired from everything. She still had to find out how the story ended, "what happened next?"

"Daddy woke up and looked confused. He asked me why I was still awake and then I told him I couldn't sleep so he got back into bed and we started talking until I fell asleep," she finished, "do you kick daddy out of bed every day?"

"I don't think so?" she shook her head.

"Ugh…" both girls heard a grunt coming from Levi's side of the bed. Mikasa took a look and saw him clenching and unclenching as he slept, a few beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. She then let out a sigh. He was having another nightmare.

"What's wrong with daddy?" Marie asked as she watched her father with a concerned look.

"He's just having a bad dream?" Mikasa explained as she stroked her cheek, reassuringly, "don't worry."

"What do we do? How do we help him?" she asked, still worried about her father. Mikasa couldn't help but smile at how cute she thought it was for her daughter to be so worried about her father's bad dream. Well, she had to make her little girl happy.

"Okay, we're gonna work together," she said, her daughter nodding readily, "follow my lead." Mikasa then scooted closer to her husband and took his hand in hers, giving a gentle squeeze. She then tried to call him down by speaking, "Levi, wake up. It's just a dream."

Marie also got to work and hopped off the bed, running over to the other side of the bed and climbing back on. She then proceeded to crawl up next to him, "don't worry daddy, it's just a bad dream. We're here," she said before she started to snuggle against his chest, gently rubbing it.

Mikasa thought this was too precious and couldn't help but reach out for her phone and snap a few photos.

"Shit," Levi gasped as he opened his eyes. He looked around before his eyes landed on Marie, "Morning Kiddo," he greeted while ruffling her hair.

"Morning, Daddy," she smiled with relief, "are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine," Levi responded while returning the smile, "I just had a bad dream is all."

"What was your dream about?"

Levi hesitated a bit. He was not going to tell his daughter about the gruesome things he saw nearly every night. "Don't worry about it," he started, "all that matters is that I got to wake up next to my two favourite girls in the whole wide world," he said before giving her a kiss and the turning to his wife.

"Morning," Mikasa said before planting a good morning kiss on her husband's lips, "get enough sleep?"

"Do I ever?" he shook his head while yawning, "what time is it?"

Before she could respond, the bells for breakfast began to ring as the man called in the hallways, somehow standing outside Levi's door again. "I guess it's breakfast time."

"Tch! I swear I'm going to give that asshole an earful the next time he does that," Levi scoffed before sitting up and getting off the bed "I think I'm going to grab a kettle from the city. I haven't had any tea in a while."

"That's probably why you've been a jerk recently," Mikasa pointed out as she watched him wander around the room, organising a few misplaced items. She then decided to change the topic, "what training are we doing today?"

"Actually, Hange and I won't be around today," Levi answered while organising the small closet in the room.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll be going out to help Hange carry out some research on the titans so we'll be going out to town today," he explained before walking into the bathroom.

"Who's going to train us?" Mikasa half-shouted after him.

"Hange already organised someone to stand in for us!" he responded from the bathroom as the shower started running. He then stepped stood in the door arch, "are we gonna take a shower or what?" he asked while looking at his wife with a raised eyebrow.

Mikasa only rolled her eyes before looking down at Marie, "Mommy and Daddy are gonna take a shower. Just wait till we come back and then I can clean you up."

"But why can't I shower with you guys?" she asked, innocently, wanting to have a bath with both of her parents.

"It's Mommy and Daddy time," she responded before her daughter nodded, as though knowing what she meant.

"Okay bye," she said before her mother walked towards the bathroom, smacking Levi's butt as he closed the door behind them.

* * *

"Okay sweetie, I'm going to go train," Mikasa said to Marie as they stood at the entrance of the day care. "you be a good girl, okay?"

The day care was a mere house with a white picket fence and a stone path to the front door.

"Okay!" she Marie chirped as she bounced excitedly in her outfit which consisted of a white 'I Woke Up Like This' T-Shirt over a pair of black and white leggings with a sort of geometric pattern. On her feet she wore a pair of white kicks.

Mikasa on the other hand wore a black short-sleeved crew neck over a pair of grey sweats and back trainers, not forgetting her favourite scarf. She then smiled as she squatted, "come give Mommy a goodbye kiss."

"Okay!" she chirped as she walked over to kiss her mother.

"Hey! Slow down!" a man's voice could be heard while a child squealed with laughter.

The Ackermans slowly shifted their attention to the direction of the sound until they noticed a little boy dashing towards them.

"Hello!" he greeted very enthusiastically as he looked at the women.

"Hi," both Ackerman girls responded with smiles.

"Ugh, what did I tell you about running off, Pierre," the man they heard from earlier said as he approached the girls and looked down at his son.

"Sorry Papa," he responded with a small pout as the man started to examine him and straighten out his outfit, that consisted of a white shirt and beige shorts.

"It's okay son," he responded as he smiled at him, "just be careful next time."

"He's quite the excitable one, isn't he?" Mikasa decided to ask, catching the man off guard as he hadn't noticed their presence.

"O-Oh, sorry," the man the man said before standing to face her, "My name is Jean Kirschtein and this is my son Pierre." It was pretty clear they were related as his son had his hair eyes and a similar facial structure.

"Mikasa and Marie Ackerman," she responded before holding out her hand. She then noticed Jean's face flush a bit as he briefly checked her out. 'Great, he likes me' she thought, "Mr. Kirschtein?"

"O-Oh, sorry. I got lost in my own thought," he said while shaking her hand, "nice to meet you, Mrs. Ackerman."

"Nice to meet you too," she responded with a bit of doubt in her tone.

"Children, time to come in!" a woman called from the front door and the children waved before running into the gates.

"Kids, don't you just love them?" Jean asked as they watched their children running to the entrance.

"Yeah, you can never get enough of them," Mikasa said before looking at him, "so, are you also training for the force?"

"Hah, there's no way I'd put my life on the line like that," he said proudly, "I was a photographer before all of this and nothing's going to change. I just haven't found any customers yet."

Judging by the fact that he was dressed in a suit vest, she shouldn't even have bothered to ask. Well she had to get to work, "Oh well Mr. Kirschtein, I have to get going. I don't want to be late for training."

"Hey, I can escort you there," Jean offered, seeming to not want to leave the woman alone.

"No, you don't have to Mr. Kirschtein," Mikasa declined, hoping he would leave her alone.

"No, please call me Jean," he started, "I don't have much to do around town so I wouldn't mind escorting a pretty woman to her destination."

'Really?' Mikasa asked as she low-key rolled her eyes. Well, it sure beat walking on her own, "sure thing. Let's go."

The two adults soon began their journey, walking side by side as Jean tried to make advances. It was going to be a long walk.

"So… um, Mikasa," he started, despite not being told he could use her first name, "what were you doing before all of this?"

"I was a police officer," she responded, direct to the point, not bothering to show interest in him.

"Ah, alright. So you were in law enforcement huh?" he rhetorically asked before adding, "you know, my ex-girlfriend was a cop."

"Was?"

"Oh, she passed on last year. She didn't survive a shooting while on patrol and left me with Pierre," he said solemnly but immediately returned to his flirty self, "but hey, that means I'm back in the saddle."

"So it's just the two of you around here?" she asked, still not looking in his direction.

"No, I'm actually staying with my friend, Marco in town. He's also trying out for this force business." he explained. He then asked, "so… uh, how about you? Just you and Marie?" he asked.

Mikasa shook her head, "I actually have four kids." She stated, hoping she'd ward the man off.

Jean gulped. Four kids? That's a lot but he could roll with it, "Four kids? You look fabulous though," he pointed out, checking her out, "you've also got a unique look. Sort of Exotic, really."

Mikasa remained silent, not interested in talking about her heritage.

"I actually think it's beautiful—you, I think you're beautiful," he started before taking a deep breath and asking the question that had been on his mind the whole time, "so uh… are you seeing anyone?"

Mikasa mentally rolled her eyes before deciding to yawn, raising her left hand to cover her mouth, making sure he got a clear view of the wedding ring around her finger. She could sense Jean's disappointment when she heard a sigh escape his mouth.

"Oh…" he started, "you're hitched, huh?" he lowered his gaze and their walk continued in silence. That was a win for Mikasa.

"Hey Mikasa!" Eren called while waving her over.

Mikasa only smiled as she waved back at him. she then turned to face Jean, "I guess this is where we say goodbye."

"We had a nice walk," Jean said before inching closer with outspread arms.

"What are you doing?" Mikasa asked while taking a step back.

"Just wanted to give you a hug."

"I think a simple goodbye is fine enough," Mikasa said before waving him off and walking towards where Eren stood with Armin and a couple other adults.

"How you doing Mikasa," Eren greeted as he high-fived her, not noticing the sight flush on her face.

"I'm doing great," she responded, "how about you guys?"

"Great," they both responded with Eren being more enthusiastic than Armin.

"He's excited because he and Historia spent the night together," Armin exposed while his friend had a blush.

"Yeah, it was great," Eren scratched the back of his head, "maybe she's not lost after all."

Mikasa gained a look of scepticism before speaking, "you don't know that for sure," she then threw an unnoticed glare, Historia's direction, "women can be very toxic people. If she tries anything, just let me know."

"You're just jealous," Eren rolled his eyes before a loud voice caught them off guard.

"Attention cadets!" a gruff voice called, snapping everyone's attention towards the source, a gigantic dark-skinned man with a bald head and a face that seemed to have seen terrifying things in his past.

All the recruits instantly stood at attention, a lot of them intimidated by the man's presence, wondering who he was and what he was doing there.

The man walked closer to the crowd, keeping a terrifying glare on his face. Making a lot of the recruits nervously gulp.

"Alright, maggots! Listen up and listen closely!" he barked, "I am Commandant Sadies and I will be your Sergeant for today and probably many days to come! I better not be wasting my time here!"

Every recruit watched silently as Sadies moved through the crowd, his eyes darting round around as though searching for something he lost ages ago. He then made a sharp turn, "hey Eyebrows! what's your name?"

"Irene Smith of Fort Maria sir!" she saluted, actually intimidated by the man towering ever her.

"Smith, huh?" he raised his eyebrow as she nodded. He then leaned in closer, "why are you here, Smith?"

"I want to help in the fight against the titans and take back Paradis City for humanity's!" she shouted, doing her best to look fierce but her trembling hands betrayed her, "even if it means giving up my life!"

"You're just like your old man," he said while looking down at her, noticing her sighing in relief. He then opened his mouth again, "an utter idiot!"

"Sorry?" she gulped.

"You don't join the force to throw away your life, Eyebrows!" he yelled before grabbing her shoulders and lifting her up, "we don't need suicidal morons running around here! So don't you ever go around saying crazy shit like that ever again, do you hear me!"

"Yes, sir!" she responded before Sadies dropped her onto the ground.

If Irene of all people could have her spirits crushed like that then what kind of man was Sadies? The crowd watched in fear as the man glanced around looking for his next target, each one actually missing the short man from the previous day.

"Who are you?" he asked, standing in front of Junior.

"Levi Ackerman Jr of New Sina Town, Sir!" Junior saluted, avoiding possibilities of making eye contact with the man.

Mikasa felt herself tense up when she saw her son being threatened. She then felt a hand on her shoulder and turned face Armin giving her a calming smile. She then sighed before looking back.

"Why the hell are you here, Ackerman?" he asked.

Junior choked because he didn't know what to say. Giving the real reason, he felt, would be too embarrassing. On the other hand, he didn't believe in that fighting for humanity crap.

"Are you deaf or do you not just want to answer my question, Ackerman?" he asked.

"I-I don't know!" Junior shouted back, instantly regretting his words when the man gave him a look.

"You don't know?" he asked in disbelief, "you don't know!" he barked before kneeing him in the gut, sending him to the ground, unaware of Mikasa being held back by Eren and Armin in the background.

Keith then crouched and pulled Junior back up by the hair. He then leaned in closer so their faces weren't so far apart, "Listen up, Ackerman! By the end of the day I'll give you a reason to join the force! Do you hear me?"

"Mhm…" Junior nodded in response, hoping the giant would let go of him but he wasn't convinced.

"Do you hear me!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" Junior shouted before Keith let go, sending him back onto the ground.

Keith then turned to face the whole crowd, "Clearly all of you, maggots aren't even fit to be here!" he started, "but I just have to work with you because you volunteered. Therefore, by the end of this day, I'm going to make sure all of you leave here so exhausted you'll barely be able to walk!"

He then inhaled, "for your first exercise with me…" he started before pointing towards the town, "you're going for a run around the entire town and meet me right here. Only the first five will be let off to the next exercise, the rest will have to go for another lap."

"Uhm, sir…" Jean said as he walked up to Keith, "may I speak."

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, glaring down at the man.

Jean then decided to let out a cheeky smile, "Jean Kirschtein, sir," he introduced before reaching into his suit vest and pulling out a card, "I'm a well-established photographer and I must inform you that I have done photos at many huge events including celebrity Galas."

"Is that really why you interrupted me?"

"Actually sir, I just wanted to inform you that I'm not a recruit so I have to get going," he explained.

"I don't care what you say because as long as you're here, you're a recruit!" Sadies declared.

"But, sir… I"

"I said you are a recruit," Sadies finished, "and because you had the nerve to interrupt me, you'll do two more laps together with Potato Girl over there," he said before pointing at a brunette woman.

"Why am I doing two laps, sir?" the woman asked, confused.

"Because you thought I didn't see you stuffing your face with a potato earlier on!" Sadies said before turning to face the city, "Alright recruits, move!" he shouted as the recruits began to run.

Mikasa sighed as she immediately took the lead. She could already tell that today would be a very long day.

* * *

"Woohoo! Take a look at those glorious beasts!" Hange shouted in excitement as she stood on top of a building, eyeing the Titans as they wandered around the city. They seemed to have doubled in number as more titans were seen up and about.

"Quiet, Shitty glasses," Levi started from behind her, "you'll end up drawing them towards us."

"That's the point," she said, still taking in the sight, "that's why we came out here in the first place."

"Remind us again, Hange," Erwin started as he joined the two, "why are we here exactly?"

"My team and I need to carry out a bit of studying on the titans," she began, motioning to a group of people in similar uniform to what she wore "to do that, we need to get a little bit close to them so we can get whatever useful information we can."

"If you've got a team, why the hell did you drag us into this mess?" Levi asked, realising he could've been doing other things.

"I speculated that this wouldn't be an easy task to complete so I asked for you to tag along so you'd help out," she finally explained before calling for one of the scientists, "Moblit, come here."

A brunette man quickly jogged towards the three and stood at salute, "How can I be of assistance?"

"At ease, soldier," Hange dismissed as the man relaxed his posture, she then turned back to her colleagues, "This is how things are going to be done," she started, "the two of you will have to split up during this activity to cover more ground. I, along with half my scientists, will travel with Levi to the East side of the city while Moblit and the other half will join Erwin in the West."

"Why do we have to split up, though?" Levi asked before continuing, "and why am I the one that has to be with you?" having to be out here researching titans wasn't something he wanted to do, but having to stick around Hange all day, that was way too much.

"We need to split up in order to cover more ground and encounter titans in different environments so we can compare results when we meet up," she explained before glancing at Moblit, "also, Moblit asked if he could be with Erwin."

"Well then" Erwin started, adjusting his gear, "we best get moving. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish." He then nodded at Moblit before jetting off in his designated direction with Moblit and team soon in tow, the other team also heading in their direction soon after.

"Look at him, go," Hange said as she eyed a five metre titan searching a few cars. They were perched up on a ten story building, watching the beast in action. "who knows what he could be thinking in that big beautiful head of his?" she said as a bit of drool escaped her mouth.

"Tch! quit drooling and tell me what I'm supposed to do," Levi growled, snapping the woman out of her thoughts.

"Oh yeah," she said as she wiped off the drool with her sleeve, much to Levi's disgust, "you can start by trying to get its attention, first. We need to find out just how much it wants a taste of human flesh."

"Okay," Levi nodded before rappelling downwards until he was a few feet from the ground. He looked at it move from car to car, probably searching for its next bite to eat. It was because of that thing that he was there, studying it instead of enjoying spending time with his family in his house, "Tch!" he scoffed in irritation.

"Come on, Levi. We don't have all day," Hange's voice came from the earpiece. Levi shook his head. He had work to do and it wasn't the time to think of the impossible.

He then brought his two index fingers to his mouth before taking a deep breath and letting out a loud whistle, aiming to catch the beast's attention. The titan looked up from the car and immediately in Levi's direction. It then started walking towards him.

He then pressed the button on his earpiece, "he's coming over. What next?"

"Try and communicate with it, let's see if it can speak," her voice went.

Levi looked back at the creature, drooling excessively as it kept its eyes on the Ackerman. Following instructions, he decided to try, "H-Hey, you!" he stuttered before his face slightly flushed after realising what he had just done. Hange had made him go through a lot of crazy things but there was no way in hell he would sink to her level of insanity. He then reached for his communicator, "Hange, there's no way I'm talking to that thing."

"What! Why?" her voice went in disbelief.

"I'm not crazy. If you want to talk to it, you should do it yourself," he said bitterly before there was a brief silence.

He then heard a sigh from the other end, "Okay, Levi. You should try to kill it. We need to know if there's a way to eliminate them."

"Now you're talking," he responded in agreement. The last thing he wanted was to look as crazy as Hange by talking to the thing. Why would he even bother talking to some animal when he struggled to communicate with normal human people. Violence, however, was more up his alley so he would definitely agree to that.

He then pulled out two swords from their holders and eyed the beast as it slowly walked up to him. it seemed to be much slower than the previous one they encountered and it was somewhat disappointing. He was hoping for something more exhilarating.

As though it read his mind, the titan suddenly began to run right at him, forcing him to shoot the grappling hooks at a nearby car and propel himself forward.

He flew through the air, rushing right at the titan. The beast reached out for him and in one quick movement, he sliced the beast's arm off, sending it to the ground while he landed on a car.

He watched as the titan turned around, clearly unfazed by the amputation as steam escaped it's wound. It then went back for him, much faster than before.

He then latched onto another car and flew toward and over the charging beast. When he was above it, he changed direction and flew right towards in, landing on its back' stabbing its heart. He then relaxed, "that should be it." He panted before removing his swords, sending a blast of blood onto him, dirtying his clothes and skin, much to his annoyance.

"Tch! this is fucking disgusting," he growled in annoyance but then suddenly the blood started to get hot, 'why is this stuff getting hot?' he thought.

"Oh, I'm so jealous. What does that feel like?" Hange squealed over the speaker, irritating him even more.

Before he could respond, the titan's hand quickly grabbed onto him and pulled him to the titan's face. It looked at him, mouth agape as drool poured out, it's beady eyes fixed on him.

"Levi, are you okay!" Hange panicked from the communicator but Levi didn't respond, he was incapacitated with an emotion he hadn't felt in ages. He looked into the titan's eyes, wide-eyed, unable to move as he helplessly watched it salivate. It was like his nightmare. Everything began to play out in his head.

"Come on, let's go save him," one of the scientists said to Hange, and prepared to propel himself.

"Wait," Hange stopped him, keeping her eyes on Levi.

"What do you mean?" the scientist asked, shocked.

"I know him," Hange said confidently, "there's no way he'll die so easily."

"P-Please, I have a family," the words escaped his mouth, identically to the way they escaped it in his nightmare. He was staring death in the face. Was that it, was that how he was going to die? Away from his family, expecting him to go back to them. How would Mikasa react if she heard he was dead? What would happen to her? What about the kids, he didn't want them to be fatherless like he was but then… it wasn't like he had a choice, anyway? He was about to go out.

"Ugh!" he grunted as a strong pain coursed through his chest. It had given him a squeeze, bringing him back to his senses. He then spoke, "thanks, I needed that." With that, he struggled a bit before spinning, escaping the titan's grip as it's fingers flew through the air. There was no way he was going to go out so easily when he had people to be there for. No, he still had to fight.

"Alright, time to end this!" he shouted before launching himself downwards, slicing off the titan's feet, sending it to the ground with its back facing up. He then shot upwards before coming down quickly, slicing off the titan's head with a spinning motion, bathing him on more blood.

"You didn't have to be so rough!" Hange snapped as she came down and landed next to him on the titan's body.

"Tch! it was either me or him," Levi scoffed, "one of us had to go out and it sure as hell wasn't going to be me." He then looked at Hange, who had tried to touch the exposed flesh, only to recoil as she laughed in excitement. "what the hell are you doing?"

"It's so hot!" she said as she looked at the mild burn mark with a grin.

Before Levi could comment, they felt the surface below them shake. It looked like the titan was trying to move. "What does it take to kill these guys?" he asked, clearly having enough of it.

Hange hummed as she took a long look at the beheaded torso, contemplating deeply as she examined it. She then nodded with a decisive hum. She then looked back at Levi, noticing that most of the blood had… evaporated. She shook it off before speaking, "Levi, I have a theory."

"Spill it Shitty Glasses, we don't have much time," he said before he started to notice that the limbs were repairing themselves and he swore he saw a head start to grow, "spill it now!"

Hange then proceeded to pull out her own swords and rushed over to the titan's upper torso and stabbed it in the nape, immobilizing it completely as a gust of steam hit her, "Ah! So hot!" she shouted before stumbling backwards into Levi.

"Dammit, Hange you'll kill yourself," he said while holding her up, he then proceeded to ask, "what did you do?"

"I related this thing to a normal human body due to… obvious reasons," she explained as they both hopped off the body. she then looked back at him, expectant eyes waiting for her to finish.

"I thought that since a stab to the heart and a beheading didn't work out, maybe we could try ripping its spinal cord to at least immobilize it since killing didn't work out. And it turns out titans are just as vulnerable to cut spinal cords as humans," she then adjusted her visor, "however, that was only one titan so we can't be too sure about it without more test subjects. We can, however, take this bo…" she started when she turned to face the corpse.

"It's evaporating!" she said as they both stared at the steaming pile of flesh on a skeleton was what was left, "so much for taking it back to the fort. It won't last until we get there." She then pressed the button on her earpiece, "make sure to take notes on everything you see," she spoke to the scientists.

Suddenly, a group of titans came rushing round the corner, all looking hungrier than the previous one.

"So many of them…" Hange said in amusement as she watched them approach in excitement.

"Hey, Hange," Levi called from beside her, getting in a fighting stance, "why don't we try and confirm your theory?"

"Oh, that sounds like a great idea but…" she started, "try not to mutilate them."

"Tch, I'll try," Levi sarcastically said before they shared a nod and propelled themselves towards the horde, feeling a bit confident that they had figured out how to take it down—well Hange had figured out how to take them down.

"Sorry for hurting you but…" Hange said as she sliced at the titan's leg, sending it to the ground, "This is for science!" she shouted before she pulled herself downwards onto it, stabbing the nape region upon landing. To her relief, the titan stopped moving, "excellent!" she said before quickly dodging an incoming hand.

"This is for making me dirty," Levi growled before flying in-between two titans, easily dodging their outstretched hands.

He then landed on a building, taking a good look at them before launching forwards, landing on one of them with a stab before shooting towards the other in a spinning motion, slicing its nape and then landing on a building, cleaning his blades.

"Show off!" Hange shouted before landing next to him. she then looked back at the horde and saw them running towards them, "we're not done, though."

The two then went back to the horde, finishing them off one by one until they were done.

"Looks like your method was right," Levi said while the taller woman looked at the corpses like a child at a candy store.

The other scientists joined them on the building, joining Hange in observing the corpses.

"Why do their wounds produce steam like that?" one of the scientists, Nifa, asked as she snapped a photo with the camera.

"I don't know but I think we should go over and find out," Hange said while readying her gear, not taking her eyes off the corpses.

"Wait, is it safe?" another one, Keiji, asked as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's a little hot but that's it," she said before looking at Levi, "are you coming with us?"

"Nope," he shook his head before the scientists flew towards the corpses. The last thing he wanted was to get dirtier than he already was.

He then heard a low growl from somewhere behind him. He turned around and saw another titan, about five metres, reaching its hand into a building as it's whole body couldn't go through the door.

At first he was going to brush it off but then something kept telling him it wasn't interested in that building for nothing, "Tch! better be people in there," he said before shooting towards it, killing it as he landed.

He then proceeded to enter the building, his eyes darting from left to right, checking for any signs of danger.

When he established there were none, he noticed something he was glad he did. A tea set, resting on a table alongside a box of tea leaves. He then looked around and realised he was in a tea shop. He let out a small smile before turning on the kettle, ready to make a cup of tea.

He then grabbed a cup and placed some leaves in it. He wasn't one for sugar so he didn't bother to add any off it. "Come on…" he grumbled, impatiently watching the water boil as he slowly paced around.

Click! The kettle went, alerting him that the water was hot enough. He then proceeded to pour it into the cup and mixing it before bringing it to his mouth in his unique fashion.

"Shit!" he hissed as he put his hands on his lips. He must have gotten so excited that he forgot he could burn his lips. He then sighed before blowing off the steam and leaning against the table. He was definitely going to buy a tea set when he got back… or he could just take the one he found.

The moment was peaceful. Despite the fact that he was in the titan infested city, Levi still found the cup of tea relaxing. Suddenly, he heard breathing coming from behind him.

"Put your weapons away," a voice went from behind him. "don't try anything funny because I have a knife."

'Can't a guy just enjoy a moment to himself' Levi thought before slowly turning his head to come face to face with the owner of the voice.

It appeared to be a teenage boy, blonde spiky hair swept to the side, blue eyes showing nothing but confidence ready to defend himself if he had to. He didn't look like a suspicious person judging by the fact that he wore a white t-shirt over grey shorts and… sandals? But then, there was something about the way he held the knife.

"Tch! just what I needed," Levi scoffed, "another brat." He then stood straight and took a step towards the boy.

"Stay back!" he threatened as he hopped a little, grip tightening around the knife, showing he was ready to fight.

"Relax," Levi started in his plain tone, "I'm not a threat." Not right now anyway.

The guy then sighed before lowering the knife, "phew! I thought you were another one of those burglars," he chuckled while scratching the back of his head. He then extended a hand, "I'm Douglas Meyer. Nice to meet you, sir."

Levi carefully looked at the boy. He was much taller than him definitely. Almost comparable to Erwin. He then looked into his eyes, as though searching his soul for any trouble.

Douglas then nervously gulped at the shorter man, glaring at him. He then proceeded to smell himself, thinking he could have had an odour on him. when he was done, he looked back at the staring man, "sir?"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to get more information out of him.

"Oh, I came to visit the city with some friends but we got separated at some point," Douglas started, "then all of a sudden the titans showed up and I couldn't contact them. I've been hiding in this shop ever since."

Levi raised his eyebrow, "Titans? Is that what their called?"

"Yeah," he nodded before resting his hand on the back of his neck, "well… that's what I call them anyway. I mean… their huge like… the Titanic or the Titanoboa so I figured…"

"Okay, Douglas," Levi started, "we need to get you out of here. Follow me," he said before leading Douglas outside the building. Luckily there weren't any titans nearby. He then looked up at the boy, "you're gonna have to get onto my back."

"Oh, okay," he said before walking behind the Ackerman and hopping onto his back.

"What are you doing?" Levi asked as the boy fidgeted.

"Ugh, trying to get comfortable." Was the response he got before the fidgeting stopped, "okay, I'm ready."

"Tch!" Levi scoffed before pressing onto his communicator, "Hange, where are you?"

"We're on top of the Trost University. Everyone's waiting for you," her voce replied.

"I'll be there soon," Levi said before letting go of the button and then preparing his gear. He then shot forwards, having to use more gas because of the added weight.

"Woo!" Douglas shouted as they flew through the air, much to Levi's annoyance. At this point, he was dirty, hungry, exhausted and all he wanted was to get back to the fort.

Eventually, the two of them arrived at the rendezvous point where the rest of the team stood waiting for them.

"Get off!" Levi barked as soon as they had landed, forcing Douglas off of him.

"You look terrible," Erwin chuckled as he walked up to his comrade, noticing his stained and messed up clothing.

"Taken a look in the mirror, lately?" Levi responded as he saw Erwin in a much worse state than him as the sleeves to his white shirt were ripped off and a few small bruises were visible on his face, "how long did it take you to realise how to kill them.

"It didn't take us very long, right Moblit?" he said before looking back at the soldier.

"No it didn't, sir!" he saluted.

Erwin the nodded before looking back at Levi, then at Douglas, "who's your new friend?"

"Him?" Levi asked, following his eyes, "introduce yourself, brat."

"Douglas Meyer," he said while waving at the Commander with a grin.

"Erwin Smith," Erwin responded while waving back. He then looked down at his friend, "great work finding that survivor."

"Yeah but I think we need to keep an eye on him," Levi said, not caring if Douglas heard.

"Why do you think so?" Erwin asked.

"I just do," he responded.

Erwin then proceeded to look back at Douglas, who now had his hand down his pants, grunting as he scratched himself. Erwin cringed at this and looked away, "you can keep an eye on him by making him a recruit."

"Hmm…" Levi nodded.

"Too bad we have to leave to soon," Hange said as she looked at the town, moping as she watched the distant Titans wander about.

"We'll come back another time," Moblit said has he put his hand on her shoulder, reassuringly.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling could be heard, forcing everyone to get into alert stances.

"We need to get going," Erwin started before everyone but Hange readied themselves, "Let's go!" he shouted before shooting off with everyone following.

Hange, however, stayed in position, eyes darting around, searching for the possible titan that could be the source. She didn't want to leave without seeing it first.

To her pleasant surprise, a titan came running towards her, it's tongue flapping by the side of his mouth like a dog.

"Yes…Yes!" she shouted as it came closer. It was like she forgot that it could eat her. She then held her hands out wide, "come here!"

The titan continued to rush towards the building, it's mouth wide open before it leapt into the air, aiming right for her.

"So… beautiful!" she shouted, watching it come towards her. Everything seemed to be moving so slow as she eyed it in all its glory, completely mesmerised.

"Captain!" a voice shouted before Hange was pushed backwards.

Hange shook her head as everything went back to normal. She looked around before, to her horror, one of her scientists was being devoured by the titan, "Rashad!" she then readied herself for combat.

"Just go!" he shouted before the titan tore him in half.

"Rashad!" she shouted but when she was about to go towards the beast, a hand held her back, "Erwin?"

"He gave his life so you could live. He probably found more value in yours than his," he said with his strong face, "he knew that the answers you've been looking for could only be found if you were alive to find them. Hange, don't let his sacrifice be in vain."

Hange pulled up her visor to wipe a stray tear. She then nodded, "right, we came here for answers and we won't leave without them."

The two then shared a nod before jetting after everyone else, catching the attention of a few titans in the process.

Eventually, they met up with everyone else where the motorcycles, alongside a truck, waited for them.

Hange landed on the roof of the trailer, while Erwin landed on the ground.

"Hange, we need to go!" Levi called after her, setting himself on his bike with Douglas behind him.

"Not yet!" she responded before looking downwards, "Moblit, open the trailer door!"

"Ma'am!" he responded before pressing a button on the truck's dashboard opening it up.

"What are you doing?" Erwin was the one to ask.

"We have catch one!" Hange shouted back, much to the men's surprise.

"What, we didn't agree to this!" Erwin started, surprised by her decision.

"I'm sorry but we just have to!" she responded before hopping onto the truck's ramp.

"Hange, fall back!" Erwin barked, "That's an order!"

"Sorry sir but I'll have to disobey you!" she responded before what she was looking for showed its face, "this will help me get my answers."

A titan, about five metres, was dashing right at them, full speed as it kept its eyes on the scientist, who didn't seem to want to move, "come here big guy."

"Tch!" Levi scoffed before getting off his bike. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to face Erwin, "what are you doing?"

"Let her do it," Erwin said, emotionless expression on his face.

Levi was about to protest but held himself back, following Erwin's instructions as they carefully watched the woman.

"Almost…" Hange bit her lip as it approached her. Not seeming to be losing interest in her. The titan then leapt at her.

"Now!" she shouted before diving out of the way, allowing the titan to fly into the truck as the ramp started to close up.

"We did it!" she shouted before the titan tried to interrupt the ramp. She then got up, "shit, it's resisting!"

"We've got it!" Nifa and Keiji shouted before rushing to the entrance of the trailer.

"Wait, you guys!" she shouted as the soldiers started slash at its struggling arms, trying to cut them off.

The titan then grabbed onto the both of them and pulled them inside with it, allowing the door to shut while the sounds of screaming could be heard from the inside.

The wails of help could be heard until they just stopped.

Hange sighed as she realised that more of her teammates were dead, no, they weren't just teammates, they were actually more of friends to her. She then bit her lip, fighting the pain that started to envelop her. She then felt pain to the side of her head.

"Tch! could be any more careless?" Levi scoffed as he was the one that hit her, "because of your stupidity, three people died today," he snarled but got no response. He then grabbed her by the collar, "can't you just be normal for once?"

"Please sir," Moblit stepped in, trying to protect her from the angry man, "she didn't intend for this to happen. It was purely an accident."

Levi ignored the man and looked back at Hange, trying to come up with something more to say while she avoided his gaze completely. She was stupid for being so careless and it cost them the lives of others. But then, Moblit was right, it wasn't like she wanted them to die, it was purely an accident. He then let go of her. Allowing Moblit to get a hold of her.

"Tch!" he scoffed before walking away from her, he didn't have anything to say to her so he just let her go.

"Abel, ride my bike to the fort for me," Hange started, "I'm riding with Moblit and the rest in the truck."

"Ma'am!" he said as she walked to the other side of the truck to get in.

"I never realised you had become so emotional," Erwin said as he got onto his bike.

"What are you talking about?" Levi asked, while doing the same.

"Levi, I can't remember the last time you blew up at someone like that," he started, "this is a battle I made sure to be clear about the fact that lives will definitely be lost."

Levi remained silent, waiting to hear what else Erwin had to say to him.

"I don't know if it's parenthood that has gotten to you but we cannot let our emotions get the best of us," he continued, "those soldiers gave up their lives in order to let the cause they lived for succeed. They died because they wanted to make sure that everything they lived for came to be."

"We cannot let ourselves get disturbed by these things. Yes, it isn't something that is easy to ignore but we have to push on. To push on for the greater good, to push on so that those deaths don't just go in vain," he spoke before placing a hand on Levi's shoulder, "Levi, you're a good man. You've really grown into a wonderful person. But then, at this point I need you to become the soldier you once were. The one that took priority in getting the job done."

Erwin watched the shorter man stay silent as he retracted his arm, knowing how much thinking he was doing, judging by the way his eyes focused in one place. The shorter man then nodded. "Good to hear we're on the same page," he said with a small smile.

"Wait… aren't you going to kiss?" Douglas asked, having been there the entire time, "don't worry, I won't judge."

"Tch! what are you talking about?" Levi asked, not looking back at him.

"Are you telling me you guys aren't like… married?" he asked before he felt the bike move forwards, sending him back onto the ground, "Ouch…"

"Shut up!" Levi growled.

"Mmm…" he said behind shut lips.

"He sure is a unique one," Erwin, said, slightly amused. He then got his bike ready, "Let's go!" he said before driving off with the truck following behind.

"Hurry up," Levi said, forcing Douglas to his feet and onto the bike.

"Mmm…" he said while giving a thumbs up.

"Tch!" he scoffed before driving after them. This was going to be a long ride.

**Hey guys, that was all for Chapter Eight. I hope you al enjoyed it because I sure did. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you have to say so please leave a review. Thanks again to all those that faved and followed this story.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys. Here's another chapter of HSF. I'm glad you're all still reading this. Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it and please feel free to tell me what you think. In this chapter, we're going to take a look at how the recruits are taught and trained. Anyway, time for another long crazy chapter.**

**P.S Constructive criticism is very welcome.**

"Where am I?" Junior asked as he looked around. He was in a pitch black place with nothing visible in sight. It was a bit cold but it didn't bother him that much at all. He just wondered where he was. the last thing he could remember was that he was running. Yeah, he was running in a race. The race…

"The race!" he shouted as he opened his eyes. He looked around and he was moving but he wasn't running. He was being carried. He then felt a drop of moisture fall on his neck. He looked upwards and saw his mother's face looking forward as she panted.

"Alright, last one is Ackerman! Go for another lap." Keith shouted before Mikasa dropped him on the floor.

"Mom," Junior said before getting up. He saw her pant as she placed her hands on her knees. She seemed to have removed her shirt as all she wore was a sports' bra and he could see beads of sweat trailing down her well-built torso. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Junior, I'm fine," she said before standing up straight. She looked exhausted, "How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine but…" he started as he looked around. It seemed to have gotten dark, "what happened?"

"You lost the first round and had to go for the second round," she started, her breath now stable, "when you went for it, you never came back with everyone else and I got worried. When the third round commenced, I decided to go look for you and I found you passed out on the street so I had to run back with you and came out fifth."

"Whoa mom…" he started, feeling a bit guilty, "you didn't have to do that. Now you're looking terrible and I'm feeling guilty.

"You better be," she deadpanned before resting her hand on her hip, "besides, if I didn't do that, you would have gone for another run with those guys and I'm afraid you wouldn't have woken up after that."

"Sorry mom…" he apologized before he heard a familiar voice.

"Junior," Levi said as he walked over to his son.

"Hey dad," Junior greeted before noticing the blonde boy behind him.

"Junior, this is Douglas," Levi said, motioning to the boy, "Douglas, this is my son Junior. He'll be your friend from now on," he finished before walking to his wife and looking her up and down, "You look terrible."

"You're one to talk," she said before walking closer to him, "how was your day?" she said before hugging him.

"It was shit," he confessed before Mikasa quickly pulled away, "what's wrong?"

"We need to shower," she shook her head, "you smell unbearable and I don't think my sweat will make things any better."

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd cleaner than me," he said with a small smirk before she playfully punched his arm. He then proceeded to snake his arm around her waist, "let's go shower."

"Ew, you stink," she said while struggling out of his grasp but eventually gave in and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Has Marie been picked up yet?" he asked as they walked off.

"Yeah, I told the twins to pick her up."

Junior watched his parents walk off. He then checked himself out, "man. I need a shower too."

"So, Junior," Douglas started as he started to walk beside him.

"Yes… Douglas?" he asked, side glancing up at him.

"You can call me Doug," he said casually, "so yeah, what do you like to do?"

"Uh… I play videogames," he said, giving him an answer.

"Ah, alright," he nodded, "so you've played Fortnite?"

'Great, another one of those guys' Junior thought before answering, "yeah but… not for long. I kinda got bored with it."

"What? That's a great game," he said shocked, he then tried again, "okay, you've played the Mario Bros. before?"

'Why is this guy so weird?' Junior thought to himself, "yeah I've played it… what are you doing?" he asked, catching Doug with his hand down his pants.

"I've been having a serious itch lately," he said before retracting his hand and sniffing it, "heh, smells like piss."

Junior couldn't help but gag a bit. Why the hell did his dad ditch him with this guy? "you should get it checked out."

"Junior!" he heard a familiar voice called out to him. he turned and saw Irene running towards him.

"Hey," he greeted as she stopped in front of them, "how was your run?"

"It was okay. I heard you fainted so I had to come check on you," she said before noticing the other boy's presence. She then stuttered, "h-hi…"

"Hey," Douglas responded with a nod.

"Oh yeah," Junior started, remembering her shy, "Irene, this is Doug. Doug, this is Irene."

"So how do you know, Junior?" she asked the taller boy, feeling a bit intimidated by the way he looked at her. It was visible from the way she shifted her foot on the soil.

"Oh, Junior?' he asked before throwing his arm over his shoulder, "we're buds." He said confidently.

"Oh really?" she asked, passing Junior a quick glance before looking back at Douglas, "since when?"

"Ah… since today," he continued, "his dad introduced us and we just got along like boom! Instant buds," he laughed while ruffling Junior's hair, much to his annoyance.

"O-Okay," Irene said before her phone rang. She pulled out of her pocket and took a look. She then sighed before looking at the boys, "Sorry, my dad's calling so I have to go. I'm glad you're okay Junior," she said before looking up at Douglas, "Nice meeting you, Doug," she said, extending a hand.

"Yeah, you too," he responded before also extending his hand.

Junior watched in horror as the hands made contact. He didn't know what made him hold his tongue but watching that was really disgusting. "I-Irene!"

"Yeah?" she asked after they separated, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

The words failed to leave his mouth. Something told him, telling her would scar her, "n-never mind."

"You sure?"

"Y-Yeah," he nodded before she nodded and waved them off, putting the phone to her ear as she walked off. He started to feel guilty for not telling her. Well, if she got typhoid, he'd definitely be by her bedside.

"So… Irene?" Doug started.

"Yeah?"

"Are you two...?" he started and when Junior realised, he shook his head with a blush.

"N-No, we're just friends," he said, slightly frowning after saying it.

Doug then grinned, "cool then, I can work my magic," he said while checking her out.

Junior only sighed in response, not bothering to object, "Come on, Doug. Let's go to the barracks."

"Alright" he responded before walking with him.

* * *

"Alright, let's do this," Junior said as he threw on a T-shirt over his boxers. He then climbed up to the top bunk and pulled out his laptop from under his pillow. It wasn't a safe place to keep it but hey, who would steal in a military base?

"It lives…" he said as the laptop went on. He then reached for his backpack at the foot of his bed and pulled out his headphones.

"Hey, Babydick. What you up to?" one of the other boys asked from the next bunk. He seemed to be interested in teasing him.

"Tch, none of your business Ian," Junior scoffed at him, not interested in entertaining him.

"Whatever loser," the boy said before entering his beddings and facing the other way.

Junior rolled his eyes. Ever since he started staying at the dorms, a lot of the guys liked to get on his nerves. Be it laughing at him whenever he dorked it out with Armin, him having a not so built body or the size of his genitalia, they always found a way to annoy him.

He then clicked on the Call of Duty Icon and the screen changed to the main menu. He then proceeded to type in the Wi-Fi password he got from Irene and went ahead to online multiplayer. He checked out the various servers and none of them looked familiar. What would he expect at this point?

"Let's see…" he said when he clicked the one labelled Fort Sina and when the screen changed to show who was playing, he got excited, "no fucking way," he said before immediately joining the server.

When his character spawned, he immediately sent chat requests and two small windows opened in the corner of his screen, "No fucking way, dude!" he said when his friends' faces popped up on the screen.

"Levi Fucking Ackerman!" the guys on the screen called from the other side.

"Dammit, you clowns are crazy!" he shouted excitedly, "the world is like ending and you're still playing games."

"Dude…" one of his friends responded, "it was fucking crazy man. I was just chilling with my dad when those titans just showed up outta nowhere and my old man was like… grab your stuff so I immediately grabbed my lap top and was like… let's go so we went and now I'm at this fort. Crazy man."

"Aw… man I missed you guys," he said before the lights in the dorm went out. Probably it was time for everybody to sleep but not him. His night had just begun.

"Instead of moaning like little girls, let's play!" his other friend said.

"Alright," Junior said as he began to move his character, shooting other players in the process. He suddenly felt his bed dip and he looked in the dark, only to find Doug, slightly illuminated by the Laptop's light.

"Oh, I wanted to watch you play," he said while climbing up, "move over."

Junior didn't want to let his mood be ruined so he just scooted over to allow Doug some space, keeping his eyes on the screen the whole time. "Just so you know, you can't pla…ah, Doug why are you naked?"

"It got hot so I took them off. Also, I only have one set of clothes," he said as he adjusted his position, not failing to give the camera a full view of him.

"Dude, who's dick is that?" his friend asked as he shot a few guys in the game.

"Ugh, don't worry about it," he said before adjusting the laptop so only his face was visible.

"Ay… man if you're gay now, you can tell us," the other one chuckled.

"Fuck off!" Junior responded as he continued to game, this time joined by Doug.

A full hour had passed until Junior felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced to his side and found himself face to face with a pair of eyes, "shit!" he cursed before pausing. He then took a look and realised it was that tall man, Bertholdt was his name. yeah. "what's up?"

"Um, Levi," he started softly, "everyone else is trying to get some sleep and you're making it really difficult for us."

"Oh, I'll keep it down. Sorry," he apologised, knowing he was probably cursing too loudly.

"It's not only that," Bertholdt continued, keeping the Ackerman's attention, "that light is also quite disturbing."

"Oh, I'll turn down the lighting," he suggested before another person spoke.

"Just turn it off," another guy, Reiner, said, "you need to get some sleep too. We have training tomorrow."

"Okay, just thirty more minutes," Junior started but was cut off by another guy.

"In that thirty more minutes, some of us could have gotten a great deal of rest," the other new guy, Jean, said, "considering you fainted today, you might want to save up more energy so you don't have to have mommy carry you again." His last statement earned chuckles from the other guys.

"Papa, who are you talking to?" a small voice asked from Jean's bed.

"Oh no, Pierre, I thought I told you to sleep. Don't worry."

"You should really let him stay at the children's home like the other kids," Marco said from below him.

"Yeah, I tried but he refused because he hasn't slept without me before," he said while stroking his son's hair affectionately, helping him doze off, "I'll try tomorrow."

While the two men started to talk, Junior looked at Bertholdt one last time, "okay," he sighed before logging off and turning off the lap top, Bertholdt walking away after he did so.

"Okay, Doug, go back to your bed," he said but the boy didn't move, "Doug?"

He was already fast asleep but there was no way he would share a bed with a naked guy, "Doug…" he shook him but to no avail. He continuously shook him before he finally sat up, sleepy eyes looking around "great, time to… what are you doing?" he asked as Doug started to enter the beddings with him. "Doug…"

"Junior, just let him be," he heard Eren's voice from below him, "you're really disturbing a lot of us."

"Dammit…" Junior said before giving up and trying to relax in the bed. Soon, a chorus of snoring began to fill the room. Harmonising like a failed choir. But that wasn't what bothered Junior, it was Doug's really loud snoring right next to him. It was like he was the conductor of everyone. When he let out a snore, everyone followed after.

He clenched his teeth as he tried to sleep and it slowly came. His head started to feel light headed as his body started losing consciousness. The snoring started mute. Everything was perfect.

Boom! He sat up as he felt the hot air brush against his leg. To his horror, he just realised that Doug had just farted… on him. He then felt like pulling out his hair. "can this night fucking end already?"

* * *

"Hey," Irene greeted as she met up with him outside. They were all heading to the classes for their first theory lesson.

"Hi," he grunted in response.

Irene then got a worried look, "Are you okay, Levi?" she asked while looking at his tired features, "you look exhausted."

"Oh… uh… Doug," he started in a deeper tired voice while shaking his head. He then saw Doug talking to the blonde woman, Annie, by some trees. "Yeah… Doug."

Irene couldn't help but blush. She found that voice kind of hot. She was the one to shake her head before speaking, "Must have been a rough night," she then took his hand, "come on, let's go. I don't want you to faint on me. I don't think I can carry you."

"Tch, everyone's making fun of me for that now," he groaned before Irene smiled and dragged him with her.

The classroom was moderately sized, with a wooden floor large windows. It had a number of benches big enough to fit about four people. In the front was a lectern in front of a whiteboard and a few maps on the sides of it.

Irene led Junior to one of the benches and sat next to him. she sighed as she watched him fold his arms and lower his head onto the desk.

"Wake me up when the teacher comes," he mumbled before sleeping.

The blonde smiled before patting his back, "okay," she said before pulling out her phone and messaging people.

More people began to enter the room and the noise began to fill the air. Irene noticed Mikasa walking by and gave her a wave. Being the person she is, Mikasa noticed her son and walked over. "Morning Mrs. Ackerman."

"Morning Irene," she responded before looking at her sleeping son, her expression hidden by the scarf she always wore, "why's he…"

"Oh, he had trouble sleeping last night," she explained, "he told me to wake him up when the teacher walks in."

"Oh… okay," she nodded before looking back at her, "enjoy class," she said before walking off.

"Likewise," Irene smile back before sighing in relief. She couldn't deny that she sometimes got nervous around her but then, they were assigned training sparring partners so she had to get used to it.

"Oh yeah!" Doug's voice went when he walked into the classroom. He looked around before spotting the two teenagers at the table and grinning. He then walked over.

"Hey Irene," he greeted, high fiving her. He then looked at Junior, "Hey buddy!" he shouted, giving his back a friendly beating, much to his dismay.

"What the hell?" Junior said while sitting up, "that hurt, man."

"Chill out, bro," Doug said as the teacher walked into the classroom, carrying a stack of books with her "time for class."

Irene watched as her friend rolled his eyes in irritation, feeling bad for him as he struggled to pay attention to the board, eyes fighting to say open.

"Good morning everyone," Hange beamed as she looked at her students. She was really excited to be teaching the class. It was a great opportunity for her to be sharing her knowledge with people whether they liked it or not. She then glanced around and realised one of her students was missing.

As if on cue, the door opened, revealing Levi, looking more annoyed than ever as he clutched a book in his hand. "You can take a seat, sir," Hange smirked at him, remembering the long conversation they shared with Erwin.

"Tch!" he scoffed before walking over and taking a seat next to Doug.

"Whoa, why's your dad in class?" Irene asked, Junior who only shrugged in response.

"Hey, Levi," Doug greeted but was ignored completely.

Everyone then payed attention to Hange, who began to speak.

"Alright everyone. Welcome to your first theory class. I, and sometimes my assistant, will be taking you all in here," she started as she leaned against the lectern, "now, this is actually a three year course but I'll have to do it in a single year because of reasons I'd rather not talk about. So I'm going to try and be fast with you all so I expect your cooperation, alright?"

"Alright," the class responded.

People took out their books and got ready to take notes.

"So, our first lesson in going to be about the brief history of the forts," Hange started before doing a rough sketch of the Paradis City and the surrounding forts, "Around Paradis City, there are three forts," she started before looking back at everyone, "anyone know them?" she asked before Irene's hand shot up, "Yes, Irene?"

She stood, "Forts Maria, Rose and Sina," she said before sitting down.

"Excellent," Hange smiled before labelling the diagram on the board.

Irene couldn't help but feel a bit proud. Her chances of acing this class were higher considering she'd already been living at the fort.

"Don't get too cocky," Junior said from beside her, "it's just the first question," he said before Irene smirked at him.

"Now, each of these forts was created one at a time, starting with Sina and then Maria," Hange continued, "now… yes?" she asked when Doug raised his hand.

"Uh sorry, how many forts are there again?"

"Three, there's three of them," she answered before he put his hand up again, "yes?"

"What are they?" he asked.

Hange was about to answer when she noticed he wasn't writing anything down anywhere, "you should get a book and pen so you can write down what's said. That way you can refer to your notes."

"Okay, he said before looking at Junior, "you got a spare pen?" he asked before he was given a pen. He then asked, "how about a book?"

"Nope," Junior shook his head in response, Irene mimicking him soon after.

"Here, you can have mine," Levi said, seeming to not care about writing notes. He then pushed to him.

"Thanks, Levi," Douglas said, ignoring the scoff he received from the older man. He then looked back at Hange, "go on."

"Great," she said before continuing, "because of the time taken between the construction of the individual forts, each of them have different states of development. Fort Sina has reached a point at which it's a full blown city and acts as our capital while Fort Rose is slowly catching up," she explained, "then there's us in Fort Maria, slowly developing but we'll get there." She finished before the sound of snoring could be heard. She looked and saw Doug fast asleep on the desk.

"With walls as high as 50 metres, storage rooms filled with years' worth of food supplies and defence systems, each fort was designed to protect us from any threat to man-kind, including the titans," she started, though we consider ourselves one nation, each fort has their own insignia and motto," she said while roughly illustrating the different insignia, "each of them also has their own military forces. Does anyone have a clue about them?"

Junior quickly beat Irene in raising their hands. He then stood when Hange nodded him, "if I'm not mistaken, there's the Military Police, Garrison Regiment and The Survey Corps, which is what we're training to be members of," he said, smirking down at Irene as he had recalled one of their previous conversations.

"Ha… that's correct," Hange said in delight, impressed by the young man, "you can sit."

"That's how it's done," Junior whispered while smirking at the blonde girl who punched his shoulder.

"Great, now who can tell me the motto of the Survey Corps?" she asked while looking around until her eyes landed on her comrade's glaring ones, clearing cursing at her. She then smirked, "yes, Levi. You should know the answer.

"Tch," he scoffed in response, aware of the setup she put him in. He then shifted his gaze from the woman to his son, "Hey Levi, she asked a question," he asked, cleverly shifting the question to the teen.

"Clever bastard," Junior growled before standing, "Offer Up your Hearts," he said, remembering another conversation he had with Irene.

"Impressive," Hange nodded before erasing the board, "alright, that's enough Civics for a day. There are currently some books on the matter online. You should check them out because you will be examined on them later," she then remembered something and almost said it when she heard giggling.

All the students in the front followed her eyes until they found a woman giggling like crazy while a man tickled her.

Hange then realised, these things were expected to happen considering a lot of the recruits were adults. She then remembered what she was about to say, a huge grin appearing on her face as the thought flowed through her mind, "Alright! Time for my favourite part of this whole course. Titan Science!" she shouted, hoping everyone would be as excited as she was but she was only met with silence, noticing Levi scoff from his seat.

Boom! Doug had farted loud enough to wake himself up and startled Levi onto his feet, "Wall Maria!" he shouted while looking around, looking completely lost as everyone in the classroom had started laughing, well everyone but Levi who glared down at him, "sorry Levi."

* * *

The next day came and the class was ready for their next lesson.

"Where are we going?" Junior asked as the class was led through the barren cornfields that acted as their training grounds.

"We're going to my favourite spot in the whole world," Hange responded, looking over her shoulder back at him, "trust me. It'll be the most beautiful thing you'll ever see."

The group continued to walk for about another thirty minutes, wondering where on earth, Hange was taking them.

"Here we are!" she said as they had arrived, al her students peering over her shoulder, wondering what on earth they came to see before they all started to panic. There was a titan, right before their eyes.

"Dammit Hange. Why the hell did you bring us here?" Levi asked, grabbing her collar.

The woman escaped his grasp, "My team is currently carrying out tests on the titans so I figured I could let you guys take a look," she said while motioning to the group of scientists surrounding the titan that was bound at the limbs by several metallic chains.

"Alright class, quiet down," Hange started, the class doing as told. She then proceeded to explain, "I brought you all to witness one of the most glorious beasts known to man. A titan," she said while motioning at the bound beast, "now, you don't have to panic because he's strapped and won't cause any harm."

"Wow, this is crazy," Junior said before looking at Irene, who wore a small frown on her face. "You okay?" he asked.

"Hmm… yeah," she shook her head before offering him a smile, "I'm just feeling a bit queasy. That thing sure isn't a pretty sight," she chuckled.

"Heh, yeah, I guess," Junior chuckled in response

"There's my two best friends!" Doug cheered before running offer and throwing his arm around Irene.

"Hey Doug…" they both greeted before turning to look at Hange.

"So, this big guy goes by the name of Sonny Bean," she introduced the monster that looked down at her, hungrily drooling, much to every one's concern, "Sonny Bean has been a test subject for two days and we have managed to uncover a lot of information that I'd love to share with you all."

Some of the interested students got ready to take notes while others were still wary about the beast and chose to watch it.

"So, the first thing we started with was trying to find out where Titans came from. As you can see, they clearly possess no genitalia and no other possible sexual organs so reproduction was ruled out. Other than that, we have no leads," she explained, "we decided to carry out other experiments and tested out a feat I once observed outside the fort. It turns out, Sonny Bean happened to be less active at night, it's like he was almost asleep."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Junior said, Irene nodding in agreement.

"Then we concluded that he was powered by sunlight and could possibly be photosynthetic."

"Wait, so they're plants?" Doug asked, some others face-palming in the background.

"Sure," Hange responded, sarcastically before continuing, "next we tried out communication but we couldn't get a thing out of Sonny Bean." She then looked back at the titan, "we also tried experimenting on their response ability and results proved that their mannerisms are very predatory, almost cat like. That leads us to believe they are more of animals than human."

"But have you tested their intelligence?" Junior asked, invested in the discussion, "perhaps it could have the ability to learn. Like from puzzles and other games," he continued, "also, does this mean you've completely ruled out the possibility of them being human?"

Hange then grinned, "I like you already," she started before explaining, "actually, that's a pretty interesting idea you have there. We'll definitely look into that," she continued, "now, to answer your question, no we haven't completely ruled that out. The titan may be completely deformed and bizarre but that doesn't change the fact that they share an uncanny resemblance to us." She finished before the boy nodded.

"Understood."

Hange then turned back to the titan, "today you'll all be joining my team and I in the process of testing pain tolerance on the titan," she explained as Moblit was seen holding a spear with other scientists, "other titans we have faced all showed very high pain tolerance to the point of them acting numb. Today, we'll give that another try."

The scientist walked up to her subordinates and took the spear away from them. She then hesitantly aimed the spear at the titan's chest. She felt her heartache as she pressed the spear into the titan's chest, erupting a shriek of pain from the beast as it struggled.

"I'm sorry Sonny Bean, I just have to!" she sobbed as it shrieked. To her, it was like watching her own child being stabbed to death. She was in as much pain as it was but it was for science. She just had to. She shoved the spear in deeper, wailing at a pitch almost competitive to that of the shrieking titan.

Her students all watched the woman in shock. Wondering what exactly was going through her brain.

"Stay back," Levi said, taking a protective stance in front of the class. He knew how reckless the woman was and wasn't willing to let any more people die because of her. "she's fucking psychotic."

"This is ridiculous, right Irene?" Junior asked, getting no response from the girl. He then shook his head. She was probably quiet in awe, "you know…" he started before looking at her, "A-Are you okay?"

Irene was hunched over, legs trembling and covering her ears as the beast shrieked. Her face showed that she was in excruciating pain. She then looked up at him, revealing her tearing eyes. "Make it stop…"

"Irene…" the young Ackerman mumbled. He had never seen her in that state. She was always so composed and strong… like her father. He still didn't like this so he grabbed onto her arm, "Irene, let's go," he said before dragging her off, away from the crowd, away from the noise, hopefully away from whatever was causing her pain.

The two stopped when they were at a position where the shrieking couldn't really be heard. He then looked at the sobbing girl, "Irene what's wrong?"

"Please stop," she shook her head, tears still pouring down as she sobbed.

"Irene, please just calm down and talk to me," he said, but to no avail. All he could do was curse the fact that his father had never taught him how to comfort a girl—or anyone actually. He then placed his hand on her shoulder, "Irene, come on…" he begged but still to no avail. His chest starting to feel heavy as the guilt weighed in on him.

"Guys!" Doug shouted as he came running over, "you guys just left me there. You should've seen it, it was crazy, the chick almost hu…" he started but quieted down when he realised it wasn't the time or place. He then noticed Irene crying, "why's she crying?" he asked, looking back at Junior who was sulking by himself.

"Tch! she's not talking, I don't know why," he growled, feeling like a failure.

Doug then looked back at her, instinctively, he pulled her into a hug, "Irene, stop crying okay. Calm down," he said, stroking her back as she sobbed into his chest, "you're safe now. No one's gonna hurt you, okay," he continued as her crying started to level down.

"Make it stop…"

"It has stopped, okay," he continued, giving her a tight squeeze. He then pulled her away from him, holding onto her shoulders as they locked eyes, "we're here for you okay," he said as she sniffled. He then took the liberty to wipe away her tears, "wanna tell us what's wrong?"

Irene slowly shook her head, "I-I'm fine," she stuttered while wiping her eyes. "Thanks for that. I really needed it." She then sighed, "guys, please don't tell anyone about this, especially my dad. Let's just act like nothing's happened.

"Sure," Junior nodded. He was relieved that she was calmer now but his heart still ached because he failed to get her to calm down. It took Doug, Doug! To fix things. If thing could be worse, he couldn't help but get a bit angry by the fact that she was in his arms. 'Dammit.'

* * *

The few days passed, training went on as usual and they had even begun their ODMG training. Things had been moving smooth for everyone except Eren, who had difficulties with his gear but it turned out he had some busted equipment. It was now one of their training days.

"Dude. Smash or Pass," Doug said as he stood next to Junior on the training field, watching the other people spar.

"Really man?" Junior asked in annoyance. He was trying to slack in peace but Doug wouldn't allow it, would he?

"Come on man, it's quick," he said before looking around, "Historia, smash or pass?"

Junior looked at the blonde woman as she sparred with the woman, Ymir. Sure she was his aunt but still, she was pretty hot, "Smash… I guess," he responded casually.

"Yeah…" Doug smirked at him, "I'd definitely smash that." He then looked around until he stopped on a brunette, "Sasha, smash or pass?"

Hmm… Sasha, commonly known as potato girl, was sparring with her husband, Connie. They were more like goofing off really. But when it came to her, she was cute, yes but she just wasn't what he was into, "Pass… man. Her eating is a turn off."

"Really?" Doug asked, disappointed, "I get but then… imagine what her mouth do, though," he bit his lip. He then shook his head, looking around. His eyes then stopped on Annie, slacking about just like them, "Annie… Smash or pass?"

"Annie?" he asked, looking at her. She was… an interesting character. Really quiet and passive yet very tough. She was shorter than him, plus she was kinda hot in a way. So she was okay in his book, "smash."

Doug then shook his head, "that's a pass for me, dawg."

Junior then realised something, "Doug, do you realise that we're talking about grown women? People's wives and moms?"

"Okay, okay," he then looked around for someone younger. He smirked when he landed on a target, "Irene, smash or pass?"

Junior felt his cheeks warm up as he looked at the blonde, sparring with his mother, obviously trying her best to land a hit but failing. He never really checked her out that much, except for that one time. He then took a look at her, taking in her eyes, hair and well curved form. The image of her all over him playing in his teenage mind, "Uh-uh…" he started.

"Ha-ha! Someone's got a boner," Doug said, forcing Junior to blush and cover himself up.

"Shut the fuck up," Junior said, punching his shoulder, "not funny."

"Okay, okay, I'd smash her too." Doug said before looking back at them sparring partners, "you know who else I'd smash…"

"Who?" Junior asked, following Doug's eyes until they found their resting place. He then pushed him, "Ew, man. that's my mom!"

"Really? Damn…" Doug said while looking back at her, "I hope you don't mind calling me daddy, then."

Junior actually imagined it, his mom walking up to him and the rest of his siblings introducing him as their new father. He shook his head at the repulsive idea, "no way dude. Never gonna happen."

"Come on man," Doug chucked, "I bet she wants a piece of the Douglas Meyer. Hmm… Mikasa Meyer. Has a good ring to it, don't you think?"

"It sounds terrible."

The boys jumped at the sound of the familiar voice, slowly turning until they came face to face with Levi, glaring at them.

"Admiring grown women are we?" he asked, expression not changing at all as he looked at the two young men.

"No, sir! We were just…" Junior started.

"Tch! disrespectful brats," Levi spat, "get your hands away from your crotches and salute!" he barked, forcing the both of them to do the gesture. He then shook his head, "Sadies said you two were notorious for slacking off so I volunteered to handle you myself today."

He then pointed at them, "I need you two to spar right there, right now."

"Sir!" they both said before looking at each other and getting into fighting stances.

'I' going to bust this guy," Junior said, lumbering up himself. He then glanced over at his father who was watching patiently. 'Maybe I can impress him today,' he thought before looking back at Doug, who was also readying himself for a fight. He may have been bigger than him but Junior knew he was stupid and probably couldn't hold himself on his own two feet. He was gonna nail this.

"Okay, I'm coming," Junior said before running at him and throwing a punch at his stomach, forcing him to hunch over, "hah, I got you," he said, glancing again at his father who still looked the same. He turned back to Doug and saw him stand up, grinning.

"Nice punch man," he said before quickly lunging at him with his own punch, jabbing junior in the stomach.

"Shit!" Junior winced but Douglas wasn't done. The blonde then dashed as him, landing a right hook, left hook and uppercut, sending Junior stumbling before he was finished off with a head-butt, sending him to the ground.

Douglas took in a breath before speaking, "you okay man?"

"Good work Meyer," Levi said, a hint of surprise in his voice. He had a feeling Douglas had some experience but this was beyond his expectance.

"Thanks, Levi," Douglas responded, scratching the back of his head.

"It's Captain, idiot!" the shorter man snapped, forcing the blonde to apologize immediately.

Junior struggled to keep consciousness. Even Douglas could beat the shit out of him. At this point he would probably graduate in last position at this rate. That was it. He knew it. This was going to be the worst year of his life.

**Hey guys, there was another Long AF chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and I'd love to hear what you all think in the reviews, please. Constructive criticism welcome for this fic. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the characters so far. I'm sure you're wondering what the hell happened with Irene. Read and find out.**

**Bye.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys. I hope you're doing good. I just really felt the need to adjust this chapter a bit because well... this wasn't so...yeah. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story and please drop a review and tell me what you think. Most of the new stuff comes at the end but I don't mind you re-reading through.**

The night was moonless, only lit by several floodlights in a straight line, showing the group of recruits standing in order, all saluting fiercely

A year had passed and the recruits were finally having their graduation. Their training had finally come to an end.

"It has been a long and strenuous year, filled with so much training and work that I'm sure we can all gladly agree to have concluded," Erwin spoke, from the front of the crowd, clad in an all-new uniform that consisted of a black Jacket, three medals on the left side of his torso below the insignia while a bandolier crossed over his chest and a utility belt around his waist over the jacket. Underneath his jacket he wore a white shirt and black tie. The rest of the outfit consisted of a pair of black breeches and combat boots, while a visor cap with the Wings of Freedom emblem rested on his head.

Behind him stood, Hange, Levi, Sadies alongside other military officials adorning similar uniforms minus the cap and also had the emblems on their chests and shoulders, holding the salute while the commander spoke.

"You all have come very far in this journey," he continued setting his eyes upon the graduating class. "I remember standing in this very park, addressing a large group of people, asking them to join the cause, the cause for a better future, the cause to take what was taken away from us, the cause to bring the titans to their knees, the cause to ensure humanity's victory!" he shouted, "many left, afraid of death, believing that their lives were better off away from the titans. I respected them and I still respect their decision. It was wise, it was realistic."

He then inhaled, "but we are not here because of them. We are here because of those that stayed. Those that made the decision to fight. Those that were willing to give it their all so that they would make an effort to ensure the brightness of the future of their descendants," he started, keeping his straight face, "I will admit, though, that at first we were worried. Worried that things would not fall into place."

The atmosphere was filled with so many emotions. The seriousness in everyone made everything seem somewhat dramatic, "you all came in as recruits, with little to no experience, having doubts in your ability, leaving your comfortable lives, wondering if you had made the right choice," he pointed out, "we moulded you. From defenceless civilians into the powerful men and women you are today. I assure you that I can no longer call you recruits because you are now soldiers!"

"Wearing the Wings of Freedom on your uniform. That symbol is a part of you. A part of you that shows the world that you are fighting not for yourselves, but for them. To show them that you have chosen to rise above the crowd and take back what's yours!" he said, as the soldiers took in their uniform (basically a recoloured version of the anime uniform with black where there was brown). Many of them never believed they had reached this far.

He then turned around, his subordinates doing likewise as they came to face a stage where ten soldiers stood, "Some of you have risen above the others, having shown great drive and ability in your training, giving us hope of the greater future in store for us," he said, his eyes soaring all of them.

"Wow, look at them, they look so... powerful," Junior said to Armin from his position on the ground, looking at the soldiers on the stage. The blonde man only nodded in agreement.

"The ten of you, Blouse, Springer, Kirschtein, Jaeger, Leonhart, Hoover, Braun, Smith, Meyer and Ackerman," he said, addressing each of the soldiers on the stage, "you all showed great promise to both me, and my colleagues. Therefore, we expect you to do everything to the best of your ability, taking those titans alongside us," he said before saluting, "congratulations!"

"Sir!" they all responded, stiff in their positions.

Erwin then let out a sigh as a small smile plastered his face, "At ease!" he shouted before the soldiers relaxed their positions, "now, I encourage all of you to make the most of tonight, enjoy yourselves because you have earned the right to celebrate. Dismissed!" he said before the soldiers began to leave.

"Are you showing up for the party?" Levi asked, looking up at the commander.

"Yes, I am," Erwin responded, "but not for long, I have to finish works on the expedition formation." He admitted, his mind more focused on work as usual.

"Just make sure you're there for Irene," Levi said, adjusting his cravat, "she's done really well."

"Of course I'll be there," Erwin responded, "I'm actually very proud of her," he smiled before realising, "I'm surprised Meyer proved to be a very skilled combatant. I never saw him as second place material, honestly."

"Neither did we," Levi responded before turning around, "see you there, Erwin."

* * *

"There's my number one," Levi smiled as he watched his wife step out of the bathroom, wearing a lace long-sleeved grey dress that had a round neck collar and lace top half that hugged her torso. Gold patterns carefully decorating the front, hiding what was meant to be hidden. The bottom half slightly flared with gathers guiding it all the way to her knees. On her feet she wore low gold heels, "you look beautiful."

"You don't look bad yourself," Mikasa responded, as she pressed her palms on his hard chest. He was in a black suit, buttoned up to the point where his cravat hung free, "I thought I told you to get rid of that thing?" she said, flicking the cravat.

"I thought I told you to get rid of that nasty scarf," he pointed out.

"Touché…"

"Mom, you look great," Marie and the twins said from their parents' bed. They had grown quite a bit.

"Thank you kids," Mikasa smiled at them before saying, "you boys should look after your sister and do not leave the room unless it's an emergency," she instructed as the children nodded.

"No problem Mom. We'll be alright," Daniel assured.

"Well Mikasa, let's go," Levi said as he was already by the doorframe, looking expectant.

"Wow, Levi Ackerman," Mikasa started as she walked towards him, "you are the least romantic person I know."

"Sorry but I don't think I've ever come across as romantic," he responded as she rolled her eyes at him. He then extended a hand, "Tch, can't take a joke Mrs. Ackerman?"

"Not from you, Mr. Ackerman," she responded, entwining her fingers in his before linking their arms. She then looked back, "stay safe guys."

"Bye!" they responded before she closed the door and they started to walk through the halls of the barracks.

The walk was silent, unusually silent. Mikasa then looked down at her husband, his normally serious face present, with a small frown on his lips. He was thinking and so was she. She then decided to start conversation, "so, Erwin's working on those expeditions, huh?"

"Yeah," was all he said as he kept his eyes forward.

Mikasa then had to say it, "Levi, I'm worried about Junior."

"I hate to admit it but…" Levi started before throwing her a glance, "me too."

"I mean, he's so young. Yet he's already graduated from the training and he's a soldier now, about to go out on his first expedition," she started, her worries about their son flooding her mind. He was getting older and more mature. Becoming more independent of his parents and the feeling they had been avoiding had started to sink in, "Levi, I don't know if I can watch him go out there. I don't think he's ready yet."

"Mikasa…" Levi said, keeping his eyes forward, maintaining his composure while his wife started to break down.

"He's only seventeen. He still has a life to live," she continued, "he could get lost out there. H-he could be hurt."

"Mikasa, please…"

"Levi, those titans are deadly. You've seen that for yourself. Our son is going to be at the mercy of those things. Levi, what if he dies?" she started, her voice cracking.

"Come on, Mikasa…"

"Levi, your son could die," She started, a few stray tears rolling down her face, "Levi, not so long ago you held him in your arms, singing him lullabies every night and making sure to cuddle with him whenever you could and he's about to run off on his own."

"Mikasa please!" Levi snapped, a crack evident in his voice as well, "Junior is not going to die." Though he didn't show it, he too, was worried about his son and his anxieties only increased as the graduation date would approach and here he was, breaking down with his wife in the halls.

"Levi, I'm scared."

"I'm scared too, but I'm being strong," he started before looking up at her, "you have to be strong too. There's nothing I can do. This day was coming whether we liked it or not but we can't just be depressed about it. We should be proud of him. Mikasa, our son is a soldier now. A strong young man." he then placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her head downwards so their foreheads would touch, blue eyes with grey ones, the former offering a comforting gaze.

"Besides, as long as we're still here, there's no way we'll let him die," he reassured her, "don't forget that there's nothing that can get passed us. Even if its life depended on it. Especially if our children's lives depended on it. So calm down okay," he said while offering her a small smile, "let's just celebrate tonight. After all, you were the first position so you deserve to have a good time."

Mikasa returned the smile before planting a kiss on his lips, "I love you so much."

"You too," he responded before taking her hand once again, "now let's go celebrate."

* * *

"Okay, you've got this," Junior said as he looked at himself in the mirror. Gussying up before going to the party. He was simply in a black suit with a white undershirt and red bow-tie. Today was his day, he had just graduated and had finally made a decision to tell a certain someone how he felt. "Alright, let's go."

He stepped out of the bathroom and back into the cafeteria hall where several people danced and mingled as music played. He looked around before stepping forward, eyes searching for the person he wanted.

"Wow Levi, you look great," Irene's voice came from behind him.

His heart jumped when he heard her voice. He then turned to face her and his jaw hung agape a bit as he took her in. She wore a strapless, pink dress that had was held below the breasts by a black belt and was flared right up to her mid-thigh. On her feet were a pair of black heels. Her blonde shoulder-length hair was curled towards the bottom and the light make up she wore made her look gorgeous, "you look… beautiful."

Her face went a bright shade of pink, "thanks Levi, You, too," she responded before a silence befell them.

Hoping to escape the awkward silence, Irene spoke"I-I gotta go. My dad's waiting for me. We can chat a little later?" she suggested.

"I-Irene, I need to tell you something," Junior started, his own face getting red as he tried to gather the right words. This was the time he was waiting for. The moment he had waited months for but he failed to speak. He then shook his head, "it's alright, you can go over to your dad. We'll chat later."

"Okay," she said, slight disappointment evident in her furrowed brows, she then remembered something, herself, "there's actually something I wanted to tell you too."

"I guess we can tell each other then," he said.

"Yeah, that'd be great," she smiled before hugging him and walking off.

"Dammit, another screw up," he groaned before looking around. His eyes then stopped on his parents at one of the tables. He could go ask them for advice.

He wove his way across the dance floor, avoiding bumping into any of the drunken and excited party goers. His main aim was meeting up with his parents.

"There he is," Mikasa said before walking up to him and giving him a hug, "congratulations," she said after pulling away.

"You too, mom. You were top of the class," he congratulated before noticing his father, "hey dad," he greeted, the man nodding in acknowledgement.

"Why don't you sit with us?" Mikasa offered, allowing him to take a seat next to her at the table. She the noticed her son staring into the open space, "is everything okay, Junior?"

"Mom, I need advice," he started, aiming to make it known to his parents.

"What is it?" she asked, placing a hand on his knee, giving him all her attention.

Junior took in a deep breath. He never thought he saw this conversation coming but here it was, "mom, there's a girl I like."

"Irene?" she asked, her default expression on her face.

"How did you know?" he asked, surprised by the fact that it was an easy guess.

"My eyes are on you 80% of the time. Of course I'd notice any girl you're interested in."

Well, now he had to get to the point, "Okay, I'm planning on confessing to her but I don't know if I should do it," he started, "I'm scared she might reject me."

"Oh…" Mikasa's eyes widened slightly. She then looked back at her husband, "I think you should take this one."

"Really?" Both Levis asked in unison.

"You want dad, of all people, to give me dating advice?" Junior asked.

"Well honestly, I'm not much different from him," Mikasa confessed, "plus, it'd be a father-son thing. You know, passing down advice."

Both men glanced at the woman before looking at each other, entering a staring contest.

Junior was the first to break the ice, "so dad… what do you have to say?"

"All I can say is…" he started, maintaining his stare, "it's either you tell her, or you don't. She accepts you, good job. She rejects you, get over it."

"Wow…" Mikasa deadpanned, unimpressed by her husband.

"Tch, if you don't like my advice then too bad," he responded, "take it or leave it." With that, he took a sip of the beverage he had in his hand.

Mikasa then shared a look with their son before he got up, "leaving so soon?"

"Yeah," he responded, "I've gotta chat with her. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, all the best," Mikasa waved him off.

Junior stuffed his hands in his pockets, wondering if he'd do it or not. That terrible advice was all he could get so he had to appreciate it. Well, he'd decided later but he had to find the blonde. She had something to tell him. Perhaps she was going to confess, "don't get excited," he assured himself. He then realised something, "where's Doug?" he hadn't seen him all night which was strange considering he was literally his tail.

He then shook his head. He still had a main objective, Irene. He looked around the room and caught no sight of her. Where could she be?

As he walked around, he felt himself sadden when he failed to find her. He had done enough searching and his mood was too sour to stay for the rest of the party. He was just going to go to bed.

"Shit," he grunted as he walked through the barracks hallway, heading to the boys' dorm to fall asleep. At least he'd find that easily.

He reached the entrance and found the lights off. People had already snuck off to have their own little parties as he heard a few suggestive noises coming from different bunks while he walked. It hurt knowing that he could've been in that position. He then quickened his pace, rushing for his bed.

"What the…?" he started as he realised there were people on his bed. Why his bed? "Fucking…" he mumbled before pulling out his cell-phone and turning on the torch, his jaw nearly falling off at what he saw.

"What the hell bro?" Doug said, shielding his eyes. He then smiled when he saw who it was, "Junior, what's good?"

Doug, in his bed, wasn't what shocked him. It was the fact that Irene was there with him.

"L-Levi, I can explain." She started, blue eyes focused as she tried to come up with an explanation.

She then breathed, "Levi, Doug and I are in a relationship," she started, "that's what I wanted to tell you earlier."

Junior felt his whole world shatter before him. the girl he had wanted for the past year was on his bed, fooling around with Doug. Doug, of all people. He was going to confess to her. He was going to tell her how he felt.

"H-How long?"

"What?"

"How long have you two been dating?" he hissed, pain evident in his tone.

"About four months now," Irene said, Doug stroking her hair as she spoke, "I'm really sorry we didn't tell you earlier. I just didn't know how to go about it. I knew you liked me so I didn't want to hurt you."

"Well if you knew how I felt then you should've told me in the first place!" Junior spat before inhaling. His tone then became low as his gaze on her softened, "Irene, you and I have been friends for well over a year and all this time I trusted you."

His gaze then left her as he looked at the ground, "I trusted you with a lot of my personal problems and joys." He then clenched his fists, "yet, you went behind my back and started fooling around with...Doug while you knew how I felt. While you knew how much finding out would hurt me."

"Keep it down. We're trying to work around here!" a man shouted from the darkness.

"No, you keep it down!" Junior yelled before looking back at them, betrayal evident in his eyes, "Let me not disturb you. Finish what you're doing." With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving the couple alone together.

"Doug, I feel so guilty," Irene said, burying her face in his chest.

"I don't even get why he's mad," Doug started, "he told me you were just friends and I let him know I would make my move." The last part earned him a glare from Irene.

* * *

"Erwin, you in?" Levi asked as he opened the door to the Commander's room. He glanced around before he noticed the large man hunched over a table, suit jacket discarded on the office chair along with a tie. He walked over to the table and saw him with figurines placed on the table, "planning formations?"

"Yes, I am," Erwin nodded before standing straight and looking down at his comrade, "how was the party?"

"It was alright," he responded before leaning against the table. He then looked up at the man, "you came, right?"

Erwin the chuckled, "Of course I did. My daughter was graduating. I may not be father of the year but I still care," he then noticed the shorter man's sullen mood, "is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Can't a guy just visit?"

"That's not why you're here," Erwin raised his eyebrow, catching the shorter man.

"Fine," he sighed, "I want you to put Junior in the centre," he said, noticing the man raise his eyebrows, asking him to elaborate, "I'm worried about him. I just want him somewhere where he's less likely to die on the expedition."

"Heh, Levi," Erwin started, "you'll have to trust your son. He can do much more than you think he can."

"Okay, Erwin," Levi started before looking at the table, "where are the Special Operations Squads?"

"In the centre, of course," Erwin answered while following his gaze to the table.

"Tch, you're calm because your kid's already the centre, aren't you?" he asked, glaring at him.

"Okay, I've been caught," Erwin sighed before allowing his lips to curve into a smile, "I'll admit that I am relieved Irene is in a safer position..."

"Exactly."

"But..." Erwin continued, "I still have to trust in her ability as a soldier. Even if she was put on the furthest part of the formation."

Levi arched an eyebrow, "so you're saying you'd be okay knowing your daughter would bite the dust at the hands of the Titans?"

"Don't say it like that," the blonde reprimanded, "I'm simply saying I'd feel great, knowing she's capable of taking on anything that comes her way. She did place highly though."

"In case you haven't noticed, my boy didn't make the top ten," Levi pointed out, ignoring the slight envy, brewing within him.

"But he did place in Hange's research team," Erwin reminded, "that's evidence enough that he's a very capable young man."

"Tch, of course he's capable," Levi started before glaring into the commander's eyes, "he's capable in a lab coat, in a lab, away from the battlefield, away from those fucking Titans!" He then sighed, "I just don't think he's cut out for this. Ugh! Why did he fucking join in the first place?"

Erwin looked down at the shorter man, feeling a wave of sympathy course through him. He then softened his gaze and rested a hand on his shoulder, "Levi, why don't we go talk outside? Enjoy the cool air."

The only response he got from the captain was a silent nod. He then took it as a signal and began to lead Levi over to the balcony of his quarters. Hopefully that would help relieve the stress he was under.

They stood on the surface, silently eyeing the town below them. Many people still active in the night, going about their business while others simply hung about.

For a moment, both gentlemen forgot about everything they were enduring, just looking down at the community reminded them of the peaceful lives they lived before the Titan outbreak—peaceful mostly on Levi's part though.

Erwin glanced down at the captain and noticed the calmer expression he now wore. He took this as the right time to address the issue, "it's a nice town isn't it?"

"What are you getting at?"

Erwin couldn't help but roll his eyes at Levi's lack of flexibility, "You know, Junior's not the only son, or child in general, that'll be going on that expedition."

"I'm well aware."

"Great," the blonde acknowledged, "then you must also be well aware that other people's children will be risking their lives out there too."

"A lot of parents are just as worried about their child as you," he pointed out, "I understand how much stress this brings to you and I know it's not easy to watch as your child risks their life."

"Levi, I want you to trust your son," Erwin started, "he chose this path for a reason only known to him. A resolve that he himself wants to come to. A challenge he wishes to face. A doubt he wants to prove wrong. There are so many reasons why we do what we do."

The whole time, Levi stayed silent, listening to the commander's words while looking at the town.

"Your son wants to achieve something that he's probably been yearning for," Erwin continued, "I could tell by the determined look in his eyes everytime he'd train. There's a fire in that kid and I know it."

"Tch, you have eyes on my son now, paedophile?" Levi asked, looking up at him with his deadpan expression. His attempts at jokes couldn't come at a more inappropriate moment.

"Don't take things out of context here," Erwin added, forcing the shorter man to look away, "what I'm trying to say is that Junior has a goal and I don't think he'd want anyone or anything to get in his way." He said, "I know you didn't."

Levi sighed. He knew Erwin was right. Even when he, as irresponsible as he was, got Mikasa pregnant while on duty, he still made it his aim to make it up to her and their child. To prove all those that expected him to be lousy parent wrong. To prove to himself that he could be the man no one expected him to be. Even if it meant spending his entire times off duty with them, spending a truckload of cash in baby supplies while learning how to look after a child. Something he didn't know shit about.

Yet, here he was, trying to hold his son back from achieving whatever it was the blonde man in front of him mused about. Erwin was right, he needed to let go of this paranoia.

"Thanks, Erwin," Levi said, looking back at him, offering a small smile, "I needed that."

Erwin returned the smile, "Anytime."

"So Erwin," Levi decided to start a conversation, "other than Junior, have you set your eyes on anyone as of late?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... is there any lady that has caught your eye?"

Erwin raised his eyebrow. This wasn't something he expected someone like Levi to talk about but then, he needed an answer, "no, actually," he shook his head, "interestingly, I've had a lot of single moms approach me after Irene set up a dating account for me."

Levi glanced at the taller man as though examining him. He then looked back at the town, "You do look like the step-dad type."

Erwin rolled his eyes at this. He didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult. Still, he did sometimes feel the need for a significant other here and there but he just hadn't the time—and confidence because of what happened with his previous wife.

"The fuck is that?" Levi asked, snapping the commander out of his thoughts.

A large rumbling could be heard. They both looked at each other, wondering what the source of this vibration was that was more powerful than any Titan.

Their eyes somehow both landed at a particular part of the fort wall. There was a multitude of steam coming from the other side of the wall.

"What the fuck is happening?" Levi asked, staring at the steam along with his comrade, who had offered him no response as he too, was shocked.

Their eyes widened in horror as a large shadow began to form in the steam until they could make out something.

It was a large head, looking down into the town from over the wall. It appeared to be an inside out version of a regular human head.

"A titan?" Erwin asked as they watched it. They had never seen anything like that before but that wasn't what irked them. It was the fact that it was ginormous.

Neither of them were prepared for what happened next.

The ground tumbled as several large chunks of the wall flew over the city, crushing a few buildings here and there.

The giant disappeared as soon as it came. Leaving them in shock at what was left.

A giant hole, right in the wall was left and the thought of how many Titans would be on their way to the fort alarmed them.

Erwin knew he had to act. And he had to act fast. He looked down at his comrade, "Levi."

"Yes?" He asked, instinctively waiting for an order.

"Order all the soldiers to gear up and the security to begin to take evacuation measures for the people immediately," he started, "I think our little expedition has come earlier than needed."

**Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this because I sure did. This was the edited version that I felt I needed to make and I hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think in the reviews. **

**Anyway, thanks to all those that are still reading. I appreciate it and I hope you're all excited to see what happens next.**

**Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys. Here's another chapter of HSF. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter because it underwent a lot of editing here and there before I was satisfied with it. Anyways, I hope you're still into it and I can't wait to hear what you all have to say. I want to make sure this story is the best it can be so I'll write whenever I can. Let's get back into it.**

**P.S line breaks often represent change in scenes but will occasionally be use to switch from points of view.**

"Can I come in?" Junior asked as he stood at the door to the captain's quarters. So many things went through his mind and he still found himself walking back to his parents for God knows whatever reason. He was 17. Why was he still running back to them?

"Of course," Mikasa's voice responded, prompting him to open the door and walk in.

"Hi Junior how did it go?" she asked with a bit of anticipation before noticing the sombre mood he was in, "things didn't go so well, did they?"

"Nope," he shook his head before noticing the sigh of relief she had. Her expressions were subtle, but not too subtle for him to notice.

"I'm sorry Junior," Mikasa offered him an apologetic smile.

"I know you're lying," Junior pointed out, smiling down at her.

"What gave it away?" she raised her eyebrow at him, her smile becoming playful before patting a space beside her on the bed, "come sit and tell me about it."

"Mom, when have you ever been okay with the thought of me dating?" he asked before walking and taking the seat beside her.

"Okay, okay. I may be a little negative when it comes to you and girls but…" she started, raising her hands in front of her to gesture as she spoke, "I'm a mom. I just need to make sure my little man is in safe hands."

"Hey, I'm not little anymore," Junior responded before he felt a pair of hands on his back. He looked back and found Marie looking back at him with her big grey eyes, "Hey."

"Hi," she smiled at him before she tried to say something like, "congratulations Junior."

"Thanks, Marie. Hey come here," he said before hoisting her over his shoulder and onto his lap. "Why are you still awake so late in the night?"

"Yeah, Marie," Mikasa started, "I thought I put you to sleep thirty minutes ago?" She had the same look she wore whenever any of the children had done something wrong.

The little girl then hid by burying her face in her brother's chest, "sorry mommy, I was waiting for daddy," she said, avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Sneaky little girl. I was so gonna brag to your father about putting you to sleep so quickly but boy was I tricked," she admitted with a small chuckle. She then looked back at her son, passing him a soft gaze, "do you wanna tell me what happened when you went to tell her?"

Junior then sighed, "Oh, right. Well…" he started, trying to find the best way to put it, "when I went to look for her out in the crowd, I couldn't find her anywhere so I kinda gave up and went back to the dorm to just… fall asleep," he continued, "when I got to my bed, I found two people making out and when I pulled out my flashlight, I found out it was Irene that was making out with Doug."

"Oh…" Mikasa said before throwing him a sorry look. She then urged him to continue, "what happened next?"

"I got shocked and I told them how upset I was," he responded as Marie fiddled with his bowtie, "honestly, I feel really betrayed that someone like Irene, a person I trusted so much, would do something like that to me. I don't even want to look them in the faces right now." He said through gritted teeth.

Mikasa then place her hand on his knee, "Junior, I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I know you've had feelings for her for a while now and it's painful to see her with someone else," she started, "but you must realise that Irene is her own person and she's free to do as she pleases, including dating."

"But mom, she knew how I felt," Junior pointed out, "yet she still went behind my back, dating Doug even though she knew it'd hurt me."

"Junior, just because she knew how you felt does not mean she felt the same way," she started, frowning when she noticed him sigh, "yes, it's sad that she let you brew up your feelings for so long but, that's just how things played out. You just have to forgive them and move on. There's no need to be angry at them."

She watched as her son closed his eyes, probably contemplating her words, trying to come up with a decision. He then opened his eyes, "mom, thanks of the advice," he started, "It means a lot coming from you."

"You're, welcome, Junior," she said, giving his knee a squeeze.

Boom! A loud noise was heard, accompanied by large vibrations, setting everyone in the room on edge.

"What was that?" Junior asked as Mikasa had instinctively wrapped her arms protectively around both of her children.

"I'm scared…" Marie whimpered as she clutched Junior's shirt.

Shortly after, a loud siren wailed and the sound of people rushing about in the halls could be heard.

"Calm down," Mikasa said, releasing her hold. She then stood, "I'm going to find out." She made her way towards the door and looked into the halls where many soldiers moved about. She stepped out of the room, hoping to get a clue about what was going on.

"Attention!" Sadies' voice boomed through the halls, stopping everyone in their tracks into a salute, "A large titan was spotted not long ago and it is believed to have kicked a large hole in the wall!" he shouted, ignoring the slight gasps being passed about as even he looked somewhat shook, "because of this, all of you are expected to gear up and get your bikes ready. We're evacuating the city and if you have any loved ones in town, make sure they get a spot on the evacuation busses. We only have so much space. Dismissed!"

The soldiers began to move again, rushing for their dorms to get dressed. None of them ever saw any of this coming.

Mikasa then immediately walked back into the room and found her kids looking at her expectantly.

"What happened?" Junior asked, wondering what all the commotion was all about.

"Apparently a giant titan kicked a hole in the wall," Mikasa explained.

"What?" Junior asked in disbelief. He had never heard of a titan that powerful before. Even when Hange would show him photos from her trips outside the fort. She had never showed him anything that looked like it could do that. Was it a new type of titan? He would figure it out later. Right now he needed to know, "what do we do now?"

"We get ready to leave," Levi's voice came as he had somehow entered the room unnoticed, "we need to suit up and get everyone out of here. We're headed to Fort Rose."

"Fort Rose? That's like across Paradis," Junior pointed out, "that's a long distance."

"Yeah, it's either that or we end up as titan shit," Levi deadpanned.

"Dad, titans don't have digestive systems so they don't shit," Junior said mimicking his father's tone.

"Tch! you're starting to sound like Hange," Levi's scoffed before going silent, his gaze softened before he side glanced at his wife as they locked eyes. It was like they were communicating with one another. It wasn't something he saw for the first time and he had come to his own conclusion. Maybe it was a quirk that came with marriage.

Mikasa then shifted her gaze back to Junior, "Junior, we're about to go out on our first expedition. We've seen how much you've grown and prepared for this day and we are really proud of you," she started, Junior knew where this was going but still listened, "but then, this is not going to be anything like training and the odds of us even making it there are unknown. Therefore, we wanted to ask if you would prefer to ride in the evacuation busses with your siblings or if you would still like to ride with the other soldiers?"

Junior looked between his parents, wondering if they were being serious or not. Of course he understood that they were concerned about him. They meant well but they could sometimes be a bit too overprotective. He had trained for the past year for this very job yet they still offered him an easier way out.

But then again, he had to admit that he was also afraid of this time. Sure he was one of the best students in Titan Science and was quite skilled on the 3DMG but then, he never really looked forward to actually fighting the titans. Remember, he joined to get his father's approval with no actual drive to fight.

"I don't know…"

"We won't take 'I don't know'," Levi said, walking closer to him, "it's either you'll go as a soldier or as a civilian," he then placed a hand on his shoulder, his blue eyes locking with Junior's, "so, which is it?"

Junior had to admit that he hated when his father gave him such options. It was so frustrating. It reminded him of the time he faced a bully and his father gave him two options 'fight like a man or run like a pussy' Obviously he didn't want to be a pussy so he tried to fight and ended up with two black eyes. The both of them got an earful from Mikasa later on.

Back to the present. He had to make a decision. Was he going to fight with the Corps like a man or hide in the bus like a pussy. Still, he didn't want to be a pussy, "I'll fight with the corps." He finally blurted out.

His parents shared a brief look before simultaneously nodding, "Alright, Ackerman. You best get suited up," Levi ordered, "oh and take Marie with you. Make sure she gets on a bus with the twins."

"Understood!" Junior said before standing. He then looked at Marie, "Come on, we need to pick up the twins." With that, the teenager ran out of the room, leaving his parents together.

"So he chose to fight," Mikasa said as she began to strip down, her main aim to replace her dress with her uniform and gear up.

"Yeah…" Levi responded, doing the same, "we have to trust him. We can't control him as much as we could when he was still a tiny brat."

"That's true."

* * *

"You guys are comfortable, right?" Junior asked as he had just sat Marie with the twins on an escape bus.

"Yeah," Daniel responded while holding Marie on his lap, "We're good."

"Wow, you look so cool," Dean said while looking his big brother up and down, admiring the uniform, "I wanna be a soldier too," he said in awe.

"If I could, I'd swap positions in a heartbeat," Junior mumbled before looking at his younger siblings, "listen guys. You have to stay close to one another no matter what. Look after Marie and each other and keep your seatbelts on," he spoke, "mom, dad and I are going to be fighting out there for you guys' lives so no matter what, know you'll be safe alright."

"Right," they responded in unison before sharing a brief hug with him.

"Alright guys, be safe," Junior said before walking out of the bus and finding a multitude of people fighting to get on while the security guards ushered them in.

He walked over to his bike and got on before riding towards the other soldiers. He was informed of his position on the right wing of the formation. Alongside several other soldiers.

"I can't believe we're fighting the titans today," one of the older soldiers, Mina, said with disbelief in her voice.

"Ha-ha, I don't know about you but I'm getting to Fort Rose with more than ten kills under my name," Ian said confidently.

"Don't be so cocky, kid," Connie said from his position, "remember we were told how deadly those things could be."

"What! Could look any titan in the eye like I did with Sonny Bean," He said proudly.

Junior could only wish he was as confident as Ian. He could feel his stomach swirl around in anxiety. Did this really have to happen now? He didn't even prepare himself for this day. Maybe he could change his mind and get back into the bus and wait it out. He didn't have to do this.

"Hey, Junior. Are you alright?" a soft voice called out to him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He turned and found Historia looking at him. Everyone but Irene had adapted to calling him Junior of course to avoid the awkwardness that often ensued when both he and his father were present. But back to the present. He let out a nervous smile, "I'm alright."

"Are you sure?" Historia asked, not seeming to believe him.

"Don't worry aunt Historia," he dismissed, "I'm a little nervous but don't worry. I'll calm down in a while."

"Okay, I'll believe you," she sighed, "but if you need to talk, I'm always available," she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Alright," he returned it before shifting his gaze around. Until he managed to catch a glimpse of Irene in the distance along with the other special ops squad members. Judging by how fast she looked away, he could tell she was looking at him.

The escape busses, fully loaded, all came and lined up behind the special ops squads. This meant that it was time for them to go.

The gates opened revealing the dirt road that led back to the city. the city that was now so infested with titans that they had started roaming the outskirts.

* * *

Irene gulped as she looked outside the walls. Sure she was very driven when it came to joining the Corps and she knew very well that this time would come. The time to actually fight the battle she so eagerly chose. However, like any normal human being, she was nervous. The thought of all this was actually quite terrifying. Her mood was already in a mess considering the fact that she messed up with Junior and now she was about to face death.

"Babe, chill out," Doug's voice came from beside her. She turned and found him giving her a smile, "this ain't the time to be worrying. We're about to fight."

"Yeah, you're right," she shook her head, "I was just overthinking things. You know, despite being psyched for this, I'm really nervous."

"You, kiddos have to keep your head in the game," Levi said from in front of them, "we can't afford to lose focus because if we get fucked, so do they," he finished, motioning towards the bus behind them. They held the lives of many people in their hands.

"Of course, sir," Irene responded, nodding her head. The captain was right. She couldn't afford to worry so much that she lost focus. She glanced behind her and saw Annie and Mikasa both wearing their default expressions, not even bothering to regard each other as usual. Despite them being picked for the same squad, neither spoke to each other. But at least they were still focused.

She looked back to where Doug sat with a now focussed expression. If even he could be focussed, what could stop her? She then took in a deep breath before mimicking an expression akin to her father's.

All the soldiers became silent, awaiting instructions from their higher ups, silently waiting to throw their lives out into battle. The moment then came, "Charge!" Erwin's voice went before all the bikes revved up and they began to leave the fort.

The blonde couldn't help but enjoy the fresh air outside the fort. It had been a full year without leaving and now here she was, enjoying the breeze and the view of the green surroundings. She could only enjoy it for so long before they reached the city.

"Spread out into formation," she heard Erwin's voice through the communicator before the squads surrounding them began to spread out. "Squads Levi and Hange. You're all aware of your duties correct?"

"Sir!" everyone responded as they rode towards the city, ready to face their opponents.

* * *

Junior sighed as they approached the city, listening to the chatter of his comrades about how many they were going to kill through the communicator. Weren't they jolly.

They found themselves now on the roads of the city. Paradis appeared to have aged a bit considering that several of the walls had cracks and moss growing in them. Had it been that long?

A roar was heard in the distance and a titan had found its way in front of them, hungrily watching them as they drove towards it.

"Dismount!" their captain shouted through the communicator before several of the soldiers around him flicked switched on their bikes and shot into the air.

Junior listened to the whishing sounds before flicking the switch on his own bike, setting it to autopilot. He then shot the hooks at a nearby pillar before flying into the air himself. He sighed as he enjoyed the sensation flying gave him. it made him feel free and because he was better than a lot of others, it made him feel good.

"You're going to die! Asshole! Ha-ha!" Ian shouted as he flew towards the beast, readying his swords as he swung them at it, "Ah!" was the last thing he said before a titan leapt from the side and took him into its mouth.

"Ian!" Mina shouted before accidentally crashing into a building, a titan jumping right at her immediately.

Junior watched in horror and disgust as he saw his comrades being torn apart by the titans. He knew things weren't going to be easy but only being exposed to a titan that was bound by chains made him forget how deadly these things could be.

He gasped as another of his comrades was grabbed right beside him. Now he really regretted doing this. He didn't want to die. He should have gone on the bus.

* * *

"Levi, the right wing's dropping in number," Erwin's voice came from the communicator, "deploy two of your men to assist them."

Levi couldn't help but feel his heart race a bit. Junior was in the right wing and now it was already facing casualties. His son could very well be dead right now, "Tch, idiot!" he scoffed to himself, burying the panic that was slowly forming within him. He then pressed his communicator, "Ackerman, Smith. Check on the right wing. Fuckers are going down like flies."

"Sir!" he heard them both respond before their bikes diverted, leaving him with Annie and Doug. His mind somehow wandered back to Junior. He found himself thinking about his current condition, hoping he was still flying around trying to run away from the titans like the coward he was. "You better be okay, brat."

He quickly glanced back and noticed Doug's sudden absence, "where the fuck is Meyer, Leonhart?"

"Said something about needing to piss," she shrugged, not seeming to be concerned.

"Tch! Fucking Moron," he spat before looking back ahead.

"Mrs. Ackerman, how far are we from the right wing?" Irene asked as she rode behind the woman who seemed to be deep in thought as she rode at a very fast speed.

"I don't think we're very far," was the response she got.

A titan came from their right, rushing for them. They both ditched their bikes and rose into the air, forgetting to turn on auto pilot and thus the bikes crashed into nearby cars.

The titan roared as it reached out for them, visibly very hungry. Mikasa immediately took action dodged it, avoiding it's arm by flying under it before latching onto its shoulder and propelling herself towards it, slicing off the nape like they were told to.

Irene had to admit, there definitely was a reason for her being top of the class. She took out a titan so effortlessly on her first try.

They eventually found themselves on a roof where the remaining soldiers of the right wing sat looking miserable.

"Look, it's Mikasa and Irene," Connie started, "hey guys," he greeted, nervously waving.

Irene was the only to respond as Mikasa was already darting her eyes around, looking for no one but her son. At least Eren was safe.

"Where's Junior?" Mikasa asked, clearly panicking.

"Probably out somewhere flying," Jean responded from where he sat, hunched over next to Marco, "but forget about him. He's probably already dead. Ha… what a lucky bunch we are," he said bitterly.

"No!" Mikasa gasped before flying off, probably to search for her son.

Irene also looked terrified, she couldn't lose her friend like that. She'd feel guilty considering the terms he would have left them on. She then felt the drive to help Mikasa out. he couldn't be dead. No, he was smart, he probably found a good spot to hide. She then looked back at the other soldiers, "you guys better organise yourselves. We have to get back on track."

"Excuse me princess but as you can see," Jean started, "there's no chance of survival for us. Let's just forget about all of this and wait for the titans to find us."

"You guys just can't give up," Irene responded, "you knew what you were getting into, joining this fight. Not long ago you were celebrating about graduating yet you're here moaning about how things are over. You can't be doing this… as a matter of fact, you have no right." She then sighed, "so you guys should summon your bikes and get back to work. There are people in the busses depending on you." She then proceeded to jet off, hoping to find Junior.

* * *

"Why are you even so active?" Junior asked as he flew away from a titan. He remembered that Titans were inactive at night and didn't understand why he was being chased. Perhaps it was the sunlight being reflected by the moon that gave them so much energy.

He shot his hooks at a building and propelled himself forwards. Unfortunately, the building wasn't stable and the hook detached too quickly for him shoot and thus he dropped onto a roof, bouncing a bit until he finally stopped with a thud.

"Fuck…" he groaned as he sat up, grabbing his head where blood was slowly flowing downwards, messing his face and uniform. "Fuck…" he groaned again as a headache erupted in his head.

He could feel the ground rumble as heavy footsteps belonging to what was obviously a titan approached him. He looked upwards and found a titan looking down at him. strangely, it had a well-built body unlike most deformed titans. But it had an uglier face than most of them as its mouth seemed to go all the way down his Jaw. It looked down at him with its blue eyes as its blonde hair blew in the wind.

"Fuck!" he said before getting up and pointing a sword at it, "I swear, I won't spare you. I swear I'll kill you if you try anything funny!" He knew his threats fell on deaf ears but what could he do? He didn't want to die.

The titan opened its mouth before roaring, a gush of wind sending him back onto the floor as the loud screeching continued. It then raised its fist, ready to smash him.

"Wow…" Junior said as he looked at it. He never saw this moment coming so easily. He wasn't ready to die, but… he didn't have an option now. He now really regretted not going onto the bus this time. His thoughts then drifted over to his family, his sister, brothers, his father, his mother. Oh God his mother. She was going to be crushed when she found out he was dead. He found himself drowning in his thoughts.

"Stop!" a familiar voice shouted, snapping Junior out of his thoughts. He looked upwards and saw none other than Irene, standing above him, pointing her sword at the titan, body tense and voice authoritative.

Somehow, the titan had stopped in its tracks and was looking at her. The way it narrowed its eyes at her was almost as though it were shocked.

"I said, stop!" she continued before her eyes widened, "you're different aren't you?"

Junior watched in disbelief at what he was witnessing. Was Irene talking to a titan? No, maybe it was a dream. He was probably already dead in its stomach and was dreaming. Maybe he was going crazy.

The titan lowered its arms as it looked at the blonde girl, seeming to relax a bit.

"That's good!" Irene shouted before walking towards it, "Now step back!"

"Irene, are you crazy?" Junior asked as he watched her approach it, there was no way a normal human being would do that.

"That's a good boy," she said as it stepped away from her. She then smiled before looking back at Junior, "don't worry, I'm oka…" she said before the titan smashed its open hand down on her, dust covering the area, leaving Junior staring in shock with his jaw Agape.

"Irene!"

**Hey guys. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. I had fun writing this and I hope you've enjoyed yourself. So… there's a cliff hanger huh? Let's see what happens next in the next chapter so stay tuned. I'd love to hear what you all have to say. And I'm sorry if the POV switches are disorienting. it's my first time writing like this. Anyways…**

**Bye! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys, it's me again with another chapter of HSF. Anyways, I won't be uploading as often as I do because of school and other stuff. I actually found a golden opportunity right now so I took and advantage and started to write this chapter. I'm attempting a new writing style where line breaks also represent change in POV alongside scenes so please tell me what you think. I bet a lot of you are wondering what the hell happened with Irene and all I can say is stay tuned and find out. Back to the story. **

"Irene!" Junior shouted, feeling himself shatter to a thousand pieces at what he had just witnessed. He watched as the titan lifted its hand, revealing Irene's body lying lifelessly on the roof, covered in blood.

"N-No!" he gasped when he saw her lying there. He continued to watch as the titan reached back to pick her up.

"S-Stop! Leave her alone!" he shouted, aiming his swords at the beast that ignored him completely as it picked her up, "I-I said leave her alone!" he shouted, still ignored by the titan. "T-That's it. I-Irene, I'm coming," he said before trying to take a step but he didn't move. He tried to move forward but his legs were glued to the ground.

The titan then turned to look at him, barring its teeth after picking Irene up. It then opened its mouth and let out a loud shriek, releasing a gust of wind that carried a terrible stench with it.

Junior felt his entire body tremble before he lowered himself to his knees, dropping his sword to his sides. His heart fiercely pounded against his ribcage as he watched the titan turn around and begin to walk away with Irene in its hands. A part of him wondered why it ignored him.

He then looked down at his trembling hands, wondering why he was still there after he chose a path he knew he couldn't possibly take. He had to be saved by Irene, who he was mad at, who he had feelings for, who had just saved his life, who was dead.

"Coward…" he mumbled as he clenched his fists, feeling a wave of anger flow through him, "I'm a fucking coward!" he shouted once more, feeling a tight sensation in his throat. Irene had just save his life, throwing away hers in the process. He still could've returned the favour. He didn't, he didn't know why but he didn't. What was he going to tell everyone else about what happened—forget everyone else, what was he going to tell Commander Erwin? That she had saved his life but he couldn't save hers because of what, he was a coward.

"I'm sorry…" he gasped as he let the moisture roll down his cheeks, the titan still not so far away calmly walked, still holding her in its hands.

The sound of gas and a thud, snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned around and came face to face with Mikasa, "mom."

He saw Mikasa's eyes widen as she immediately rushed to his side and crouched next to him, beginning her thorough examination of his body, freezing the moment she saw his face, "Junior, your face. What happened?"

Junior let his blue eyes look into his mother's grey ones. He pulled her into a hug, letting all the moisture on his face be absorbed by the fabrics of her uniform, "m-mom, I'm sorry," he sobbed, still resting against her. Any other time he would try his best to brush off his mother but at this point, he needed her.

* * *

Mikasa stayed silent as she caressed her son's back. She never knew exactly why he was crying but she hated it. First, she hated the fact that she let him join the military. Second, she hated the fact that he still chose to fight even when he knew he wasn't strong enough. Third, she hated the fact that she let him do it either way and now he was injured and crying against her chest. That was it, no more. There was no way she was going to let him risk his life even more and she didn't care whoever protested. Be it Levi, Hange or even Erwin. She wasn't going to let him go through this again.

"Mom…" his voice came out; his breath had stabilised at least.

"Yes Junior," Mikasa responded, very curious as to what he had to say. Hopefully he'd already began to regret.

"I let her die."

Mikasa cocked an eyebrow, wondering why he had just said what he said.

"I almost died but Irene saved me," Junior started, "she was killed and I just stood there…" he continued, "I'm a coward, mom. A pathetic coward."

"She was killed?" Mikasa asked, surprise evident despite her calm tone. Ever since they became training partners, they had gotten a lot closer than when they first met. She had seen first-hand how determined the girl was, never seeming to give up every time they'd spar, watched her grow from an overzealous child into a strong young woman in just a year.

Now she was dead and Mikasa never expected something like that to ever happen—so soon anyway. She had saved her son's life and that meant a lot to her. The least she could do to show her appreciation was avenging her. "Junior, which titan killed her?"

She watched as her son's gaze shifted to the right where a large titan was seen walking away, "mom, it took her body…I don't why," he said before looking back at her, grief evident in his eyes.

Mikasa felt herself tense up when she looked at her son's expression. If there was one thing she hated, it was seeing her children hurt, either physically or mentally. All the other mothers had witnessed Levi holding her back every time Junior or the twins got tackled during their inter-school football games. They actually called the police when they got uncomfortable with the glares she gave other kids. Coming to think of it, that was really embarrassing.

"Junior, stay here," her deadpan voice came out before she turned and watched the titan. In a swift motion, she jetted after it at faster speeds than needed, back hair blowing in the wind, Junior's happiness being the main thing on her mind. She never wanted to see him like that ever again and she knew the only way she could possibly make him smile again was by saving the blonde.

She finally caught up to the titan and thrust herself into the air, flying right above it. Her eyes scaled the titan's body before settling for their target, the nape.

She then shot the hooks at its shoulders and propelled herself forward, swords in hands neatly polished, courtesy of Levi, about to be stained by the blood of the hellish creature.

She then did a spin, an observed technique, and rushed towards the nape. She noticed the titan's eyes shift towards her before its free hand reached and covered her target, encasing itself in a hard crystalline material.

"huh," she gasped, surprised by the fact that the beast had protected its weak spot. Still, she proceeded, slashing but to her surprise, instead of a dismembered hand, her swords shattered. She looked at the encasing and noticed cracks forming, "shit!" she gasped, nimbly dodging the attacking hand that freed itself and started to swat its back like she was an insect.

She then pulled away from it and continued to fly after it, still in shock by the fact that it defended itself unlike any of the mindless titans she faced and was told about by Hange.

"Mikasa, hold on!" a shot came from behind her and when she glanced back, she saw the group of soldiers approaching her.

"We've got this one!" the blonde soldier said as they flew past her, rushing straight for the large titan.

"Thomas, wait!" Mikasa called, knowing that something was off about the titan. Unfortunately, she was too late.

The titan swiftly turned around, still holding Irene's body in its hand. Its eyes immediately focused on the soldiers before it grabbed onto Thomas, tossing him right into its mouth, crushing him like a bug. It then proceeded to swat another soldier into a wall before throwing a kick to the following one into the air.

Mikasa watched in horror as her comrades fell. She wasn't going to let any more of them go down. She then felt her senses go numb as a strong feeling overwhelmed her, forcing her to see things differently, she then huffed before charging right at the titan, swords already in hand, instincts in the driver's seat of her body.

She launched herself around it and rushed for its nape. Instinctively, the beast reached out to cover it, allowing the woman the opportunity to slice off its hand and fly towards the nape.

She hummed in disapproval when she noticed the hardened material form over the weak spot. That still didn't stop her and she allowed herself to fall, low enough to allow her to slice at the back of its knee, forcing it to stumble.

The titan screeched before attempting to run off but Mrs. Ackerman wasn't going to let this slide. She propelled herself after it, her main aim still being taking it down.

She then launched herself towards the titan's ankle and sliced it open, forcing it to fall to the ground. If she could demobilise it, she could kill it.

As the beast screeched, Mikasa launched herself right at it, once more to secure her victory. She then noticed the titan flail its hand into the air, throwing Irene's body away from it. She glanced at Irene and then back at the titan. She would've killed it but that wasn't what really mattered most at the time.

"hold on…" she said before jetting right after her, moving even faster than she was before.

Luckily, she managed to catch her right before she hit a building. She let out a relieved sigh as she held the blonde over her shoulder she seemed to have endured a great deal of damage as several parts of her uniform were covered in blood. She then looked back to where the titan had fallen and it was down, steam escaping from all of the wounds Mikasa had showered it with.

At least it was Dead.

She then looked back at where she was coming from and jetted back to where she left her son.

"Mom!" she heard him say when she landed on it with a loud thump. She then saw his face brighten when he saw Irene on her. At least he wasn't frowning any more. Feeling the weight on her shoulders, she proceeded to lay Irene's body on the roof and watched as her son knelt down next to it. She saw the way he looked down at her, lips tightly closed as though he were biting back words.

"Irene, I-I'm sorry for being a coward," Junior started, "You saved my life. You were brave, strong, smart, confident… beautiful," he confessed, "you were so many good things… I can't even explain it to you."

Mikasa watched as her son's face went a bit pink. she felt herself get a tad protective. But then, Irene was a corpse and in no way was it normal for her to feel like that. She just had to let him have this moment—even if it was a bit weird.

"You made me smile whenever we chatted for hours into the night. You made me feel like there was nothing that would rather be doing and I kinda got bummed when we had to call it quits," he continued, "and when I'd go to sleep, I couldn't stop thinking about you and I was like, 'shit, I can't wait to see her tomorrow'. Even when we got closer, telling each other secrets and stuff, I felt myself getting even more attracted to you."

Mikasa watched as her son confessed to a corpse. He was speaking as though she were wide awake, forgetting that she would never be able to return the feelings. It even of reminded her about her earlier relationship with Eren; completely one sided.

"Ugh… Dammit Irene. I loved you alright," he finally burst out. breathing as though a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I loved every single thing about you and I got pissed off when I failed to make you smile whenever you were down. I felt like a total idiot and I got even more pissed off whenever Doug put a smile on your face."

She then saw him sigh before relaxing. She then took the liberty to crouch beside him again, resting her hand on his shoulder, "how do you feel?" she asked, her deadpan look faded away and was replaced with a warm one.

"I feel… great," he sighed before looking back at her, throwing her a happier expression. He then got worried again, "what are we going to tell the Commander?"

"That she's dead," Mikasa calmly said, ignoring the shocked look she received from her son. She never really was the best person to ask whenever it came to such things. She had to admit that even Levi would occasionally offer better advice. She then looked down at Irene's body and noticed a slight twitch.

In a swift movement, Mikasa was already pumping Irene's chest, remembering what she had learnt from the CPR classes she and Levi took to ensure they were ready for anything life had to throw at them once they became parents.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Junior asked, receiving no response from his mother as she continued to act.

"Ach!" Irene coughed as she opened her eyes. she then began to gasp for air as though she hadn't breathed in years. Mikasa had already gotten to work, gently patting her back until the gasping calmed down.

"J-Junior, Mrs. Ackerman?" she asked, glancing at the two before grabbing her head. A low moan escaped her lips before she went unconscious once again.

The Ackermans shared a look before the sound of many gas canisters was heard, followed by loud thumps.

"Hey guys!" Sasha greeted as she walked, arm in arm with her husband.

"Your saviours have arrived," Connie cheered as they walked towards the trio. He then gasped when he saw Irene's state, "Is she…"

"No," Mikasa responded before looking back at everyone else behind him. she had to admit that she was impressed by the fact that they had gotten back onto their feet but her face hid everything.

"Well, does Snow White over there need a kiss?" Jean smirked as he stepped forward.

"Don't be a paedophile!" Junior spat at the older man.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about Irene, idiot," Jean said before looking at Mikasa, "well?"

Ignoring the brunette's advances, Mikasa rose to her feet and glanced around. The area was free of any titans which meant that she could inform the centre to lead the busses through this path and more importantly, get the children on a bus. That way, they could be safe. That's what she needed.

She then looked over at Jean, who wore a somewhat disappointed look, "Jean."

"Y-Yes," he started, a look of desperation on his face.

Mikasa brushed it off and continued, "tell the Special Ops Squads they can use this route."

"O-Oh, okay," Jean said before pressing the button on his communicator, "Jean Kirschtein here. The right wing has a clear path," he said before putting his hand down.

"The poor kids look awful," Historia was the next to speak as she went and knelt down next to the teenagers.

Mikasa almost reprimanded her but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and met a pair of green eyes beaming back at her, making her flush as she covered her face with her scarf, "Eren."

"I'm glad you're okay," he said, "I got a bit worried that you wouldn't make it."

Mikasa said nothing. It wasn't like she ever did whenever Eren smiled at her. Despite being in a relationship with someone else, her devotion to the brunette hadn't died out. How could it? considering that he was the one that made her feel alive as she recalled. Those green orbs brought back the light that had died out when she lost her parents to burglars. The scarf he wrapped around her neck brought her more comfort than anything really. He made her feel different, almost alive. Perhaps that was Why Levi never liked it.

Her train of thoughts was broken when she heard Eren's voice again, but he wasn't looking at her. She followed his gaze and it landed on Historia, who was having a conversation with Junior while Irene was propped up onto her lap, resting while in her unconscious state.

"Man, I can't wait to have kids of my own," Eren smiled, clearly in awe of the sight before him.

"Tch," she scoffed but covered her mouth before Eren looked back at her, sporting a quizzical look. Guiltily, she looked away, "That's what marriage does. You start sounding like each other, okay."

"Heh," he only chuckled in response.

* * *

"We're heading East!" Hange said through her communicator, passing the message to her squad members and the bus drivers.

"Looks like you set things straight over there," Levi said to himself, acknowledging that his squad members had set things straight on the right wing. That probably meant Junior was alright, much to his relief.

The squads took a right turn and led the busses through the much clearer route. For sure, there weren't any titans in sight which meant things were looking good for the busses.

Levi looked around, searching the area for any danger. There may not have been any titans in sight but he still couldn't let his guard down. He then sighed as he noticed some familiar places. The school the twins went to, the station Mikasa worked at, the park where it all began. Often times he would find himself questioning why any of this happened. Why life decided to return him to the life of fighting when he had finally found peace.

"Hey, Levi."

"No!" he responded in his usual tone.

"I didn't even get to say anything," Hange complained from her end of the communicator.

"I don't care," he responded, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Anyway…" she continued either way, much to his annoyance, "aren't we entering your old neighbourhood?"

Hange was right. Many nice looking houses came into view. Even in this fallout, many of the houses were still standing. He then felt a rush of nostalgia flow through him. All the memories he had made when he first moved there with Mikasa and Junior, who was a toddler at the time. All their unique neighbours getting into all sorts of crazy activities.

They then passed by a large house with a Lamborghini parked right outside. He could see the dents and dust that had formed a layer over the house and car, the front pool had turned green with Algae. The sight almost brought up the pathetic punch he had earlier on. He recognised the house as his neighbour, Miche's.

"Bastard," he scoffed, remembering his neighbour. The blonde man happened to be a war vet like a lot of other people he knew. He then got invested in professional football and made a lot of money and scored himself two models that he later married and had kids with. The thing that annoyed Levi the most about the blonde was the fact that he always told him off for being a stay-at-home. He did, however, appreciate the times when he would entertain the kids with his crazy lifestyle when he was too busy.

His face softened at the sight of his own house. The lawn completely over grown, the walls stained with so many different colours. His crushed Ford was still there, except now rusted with leaves growing through the tires. "Tch, damn brat," he scoffed, remembering how his car had ended up that way.

He couldn't deny the fact that thoughts of clearing everything up started to fill his mind. He also noticed that their garage door was still locked. A realisation had struck his mind. They had a Mercedes in the garage. He could've come back to check on it but the thought of how it may look after a year of no maintenance repelled him. He just had to let it slide.

He still imagined the days his family would hang out on the lawn, fooling around occasionally or go over to the neighbourhood BBQs. The times he'd play catch with the twins or teach Marie how to trike. All those memories remained engraved into his heart. The happier moments, the moments when he wasn't fighting to keep his family, alongside many others, alive.

A loud screeching sound was heard, snapping everyone's attention to the direction from which it came.

A large titan, probably ten metres, hopped out from behind one of the houses and onto the road and glared in their direction.

It was abnormal, judging by the fact that it stood on all fours. It had its eyes set on the bus and began to charge.

"Shit!" Levi grunted before flicking the switch on his bike and launching himself towards the titan. From the times he actually paid attention during Hange's classes, he remembered that abnormal titans weren't often attracted to individuals but to large groups. This would make things way easier for him.

The titan continued to crawl towards the approaching group, tongue hanging out as it licked the air.

"Alright Fido, time to put you down," he said as flew over the titan, releasing the grapples while he hovered above it before latching them to its shoulders and lunging down at it, stabbing it in the neck before it fell to the ground motionlessly.

He looked back at the busses and waved them to keep moving. To his surprise, more screeches could be heard and when he turned around, he noticed that a horde was approaching them. "Shit!" he said before looking back at the busses and noticed another horde of titans approaching from behind the vehicle.

"What the fuck, they said this place was clear," he said as he pressed the button on his communicator, "Hange, we need to get to work or we'll be titan shit any moment now!"

"Titans don't have…"

"I don't fucking, care!" he snapped, annoyed by the correction, "just get your squad members to fight already."

He then shifted the contact to his own squad, or what was left of it. Fortunately, Meyer had returned from his absence so at least two of them were present. He still had to deal with him, though., "Leonhart, Meyer! Let's finish these sons of bitches off!"

He then noticed his bike approaching and shot his gear at it, launching him right onto his seat and right towards the titans. If there was one thing he didn't want to let happen, it was to let all those lives get taken away. Once again, the pressure he felt as he fought for his country in the military fell upon him once again.

Once he was close enough, he propelled himself into the air, rapidly spinning as he cut through several of the titans, taking them down one by one. A year's worth of research trips allowed him to experiment and perfect his titan killing ability. It had become very natural to him.

"Oh… Yeah!" Doug said as he brought down two titans. The once very…unique boy had turned out to be a very capable soldier, with physical abilities being above average when put against his classmates. That was the only reason he was put in the second position. Otherwise in the theory classes, he performed terribly.

"Hey Annie! Check this out!" he shouted, taking down another large titan.

The blonde woman only passed a glare as she took down more titans.

"Tch! damn titans got be dirty," Levi scoffed as he stood on a corpse, looking at his blood-stained uniform. He then placed a hand on his communicator, "Hange, how are things going?"

"Woohoo! Levi there's so many of them!" her voice came back from the other end, "I can't believe my eyes!"

Levi cringed at the loudness she had. He then went back. He then noticed a titan make a move on one of the busses, tipping it over. "Fuck!" he cursed before jetting towards the bus and in a spinning motion, sliced the titan's head off, forcing in to fall onto the ground, "Tch, didn't your parents teach you not to play with your food?"

He then looked below him and saw that he was standing on the windows that hadn't broken. A man knocked on the window, looking terrified.

Levi knew he wasn't a man for comfort but all he could offer was protection. He then spoke, "all of you stay put and we'll get back to you once these assholes are done." He couldn't help but feel his innards churn with worry when he saw the unconscious state of some of the civilians. No one had to get hurt. No under his watch.

He then looked back and noticed that Annie and Doug were almost done with the titans on their side. He glanced back to where the Hange Squad worked and noticed that there were still quite a number of them left.

He then propelled himself forward, letting the wind blow his hair back. His only expression being one intent on destroying those titans.

Using his spinning move once again, he took down two titans before stabbing one more in the neck.

"Show off!" he heard Hange shout not so far away from him, taking down a titan of her own.

"Tch, shitty glasses," he scoffed before looking ahead, watching as the Hange squad soldiers took down the titans, both assists and solo kills were displayed. When it came to picking a squad, both Levi and Hange knew that it would take only the best of the best to work through all of this. Levi had to admit, Hange did have an eye for spotting talent.

He then shot himself at another titan, slicing off its legs, sending it onto the ground with a loud thud before shooting himself at it to stab its nape, killing it.

The titan killing went on for another 10 minutes before they were all done.

"Wow, that was massacre," Hange said as she pulled her visor over her head, taking a look at the carnage around them.

"I look like shit," Levi complained while looking at his uniform.

The teams then proceeded to shoot towards the capsized bus. "You guys should start getting the people out of there while I speak to the Commander," Hange said before turning on her communicator, "Commander, we're in a bit of a situation right now. A bus just got tipped over and we might take a while because we'd have to put it upright."

"You should've seen that," Doug said as he pulled out one of the civilians, "I was dropping those things like flies."

"Douglas, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't care?" Annie responded, helping a child out of the bus.

"What the hell does it take to get you to acknowledge me for once?" Douglas asked, a frustrated look on his face.

Annie's eyes narrowed at him, "this isn't the time for this," she said in a hushed tone.

"when then?" he asked, equally hushed, "when can we talk about how hard it is to be acknowledged by you…ow!" he said after she punched him in the mouth.

Levi watched the two from the corner of his eye. The two had a strange relationship he was trying to put together when he unintentionally and intentionally eavesdropped on their conversations. They were always similar to the one he just witnessed with Douglas complaining to her while she never cared. He always wondered why the boy was so intent on impressing her. Perhaps a mere crush? but then, it's not like he would ever ask them or anything. Annie was a very secretive person and Doug… he would probably do whatever it was, Doug did.

"Alright, that's all of them," Moblit said after he had checked the bus and found it empty.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road—literally," Hange said before motioning for her other squad members who had hooked the bus with their gear while they sat on their bikes. They then began to accelerate; their plan was to pull the bus right back up.

Everyone watched as the plan was in action. Even the civilians from the other busses poked their heads out to see what was happening. Levi let his mind wander as he wondered how Marie and the twins were doing. Judging from the state of their bus, everyone seemed safe. Besides, if anyone on the bus tried anything funny, he had been training Daniel to fight ever since the whole shop-lifting fiasco, of course Mikasa was unware, she'd just freak out.

Eventually, the bus was upright and the driver had gotten in to test the engine which was still working. The civilians went back in to fill in their seats "Alright guys, good job!" Hange said before looking back at the soldiers, "we need to get going. The sun will rise soon and I don't think anyone would want to face them in their most active state.

"Understood!" the soldiers all saluted before returning to the bikes, set on continuing their journey to safety.

They continued to pass through different neighbourhoods, keeping their guard up in case any titans decided to show up again.

"Is that Jean?" Hange asked as she noticed the brunette waving them over, "she then pressed her communicator, "Jean?"

Levi watched as the squad captain conversed with the soldier, not really caring about whatever they were saying. Hange then turned and waved at everyone as her own bike started to slow down.

"Hange, the hell is going on?" Levi asked as his bike came to a stop right next to hers.

"The remaining units in the right wing are in need of assistance," she responded before getting off her bike. She then looked back at Levi, "we should go check on them."

Levi only nodded in response before mimicking her actions. He then looked back at his squad members, "keep an eye on everyone, I'll be back." He then followed after Hange, shooting his gear onto the building's edge and pulling himself upwards.

Jean finally led them to a nearby building where everyone else rested.

"I'm glad you're okay," Hange said as she looked at the soldiers.

The first thing that caught Levi's eye was his wife, son and Irene together with the Latest fast asleep. Automatically, he made his way over to them.

"I'm starting to think dirt no longer bothers you," was the first thing Mikasa said as her husband approached them.

"When we get to Fort Rose, I swear I'll soak in the bath for as long as possible," he responded, shifting his eyes to his son as he spoke. The boy looked pretty banged up, hair scruffy, small rips in his uniform topped by the blood on his collar and bruised face. He looked banged up was an understatement, he looked terrible. Levi couldn't help but feel a bit worried about him, his stoic face masked all evidence though.

"Hey, da… I mean, captain," he greeted, throwing his father a salute.

"The hell happened to you?"

Before Junior could explain, Mikasa was already at it.

"I found him crying because he got scared of a titan," she explained, deleting all the other details as though they were nothing.

"Pussy."

Junior's face then went bright pink, "N-No mom, you're not telling the whole truth," he started, "This abnormal titan showed up and almost killed me. But then, Irene stepped in and saved me, sacrificing herself."

"What?" he asked as his eyes fell on the unconscious blonde, watching her body resting against a wall. He couldn't help but feel a bit of grief flow through him. His best friend's daughter was there, having died at the hands of the titans. Guilt then started to add to the grief as he realised that he had lost Irene while she was under his care. How would he explain to Erwin?

"Dad… I mean, Captain, you're staring."

Levi's eyes went back to where his son stood, a scowl forming on his face "the hell could you let her die?"

"No, the thing is, she's still alive," he said as Levi's eyes shifted back to her and he noticed the steady movement of her chest.

"Mom managed to save her from the weird abnormal," he finished.

"Levi."

The captain's gaze then shifted to where his wife stood, her calm expression had shifted from its plain one to a more serious one, "Ackerman?"

"This is it," she started, "no more of this for Junior."

"Mikasa, this isn't the time for this," Levi brushed her off, ignoring the glare she threw at him. He certainly wasn't in the mood to argue with her as it was neither the time nor place for that. He was just glad that people were still breathing and not everyone was completely gone.

"Wait, you're telling me all your bikes are…gone?" Hange asked the other soldiers after they had just finished explaining their situation.

"No offense, captain Hange but…" Connie started, "those bikes are extremely glitchy."

Hange then placed her hand under her chin, "I guess this was an expected result," she started, "Oh well, the team and I will get to it once we're at Fort Rose."

"Captain Hange," Junior started, "I encountered this very strange titan earlier."

Levi rolled his eyes as he saw the woman grin excitedly. Before they could indulge themselves in annoying nerd banter, Levi made action to grab the woman by her collar and begin to drag her with him, much to her protest. He then called back to the group, "all the injured should get into the busses. Tell those damned security guards to create space for them. The rest of you will hook onto the sides of the busses, you'll ride from there."

With that, the group was back on the move, returning to their destination already on their minds. The trip was a bit rocky as they encountered a few titans here and there but overall, things moved pretty smoothly. They even managed to meet up with the rest of the forces, combining into a single unit.

"Land ho!" Connie shouted from where he stood atop a bus, having a pose somewhat reminiscent of a sailor.

The fort walls appeared to be less spread out than those at Fort Maria, but equally as tall. Along the sides were the emblems of the Fort Rose insignia alongside the Garrison insignia.

As they approached, large gates came into view, bearing the Fort Rose insignia. The large doors slowly opened, allowing the soldiers entry into the Fort.

Each of the soldiers looked around in awe as they drove through the place. It definitely looked better than their previous Fort. It looked more like a party town as the first things they could see were a lot of clubs and bars populating the central business district. People watched from the windows of the many buildings.

They soon reached a clearing, where a large park was centred, several random bystanders also watching while a group of uniformed people, Levi assumed were probably the Garrison Soldiers watched while holding a few drinks in their hands, probably drunk.

The gates had finally closed after the last of the scouts entered the fort, signifying that they had just become a part of a completely new and different society. Clearly much more developed than their rural town and this pleased the civilians that al peaked out the bus windows to watch in awe.

"This is getting on my fucking nerves," Levi grumbled to himself as he felt a bit of frustration build up within him. First his family was removed from their comfortable lives to live in a fort because of the titans. Right when they started to settle, titans destroy the fort wall, forcing them out of their new home and on the run again and here they were in a completely different place. He was tired of not having a place to permanently call home. Well that was how life worked.

That was how it had always treated him.

**Hey guys. Thanks for reading. I really appreciate the views and I hope you like this style of writing. It definitely takes longer but I feel is more fun to write. Always, please feel free to tell me what you think as I try to find time to next update. Until then…**

**Bye**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys. Welcome to another chapter of HSF. I hope you're all good because I managed to prepare another chapter for you guys. Like I said, school so I won't upload frequently. Shout out to all those that follow and favourite the story as well as you guys for the views. Its inspiring to write Anyways, let's get back into the story. **

"Okay, Mr. Ackerman I'm going to have to ask you to take off your shirt," a doctor said as she patiently stood in front of Junior, medical instruments in hand. They had gotten to a hospital as soon as all the soldiers were given time to breathe after they had arrived at Fort Rose. Now here he was being examined by a Doctor.

"Uh… okay," Junior responded as he proceeded to unbutton his shirt, leaving his torso exposed after he discarded his shirt onto the bed. His face slightly went pink has the doctor examined him, checking his heart rate while tending to the bruises on his now slightly muscular torso. A year's worth of training gave him something to be grateful for.

The doctor finally stepped back and sighed, "well, from what I've seen, he's fine," she said before looking over his shoulder, "Don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman, your son will heal up just fine. He's just got a few bruises on his torso and I've managed to clean the wound on his forehead."

"Thank you, Doctor," Mikasa responded from where she sat on the bedside chair, Levi leaning against the wall next to her. Her expression showing a bit of relief at the news.

"No problem," the doctor flashed a smile as she gathered up her stuff, "you can leave whenever you're ready," she said before walking out of the room.

Junior then proceeded to grab his shirt and put it back on. He then looked at his parents who were there staring at him, giving him a bit of nerves. He disliked whenever they'd stare at him like that. With facial expressions like theirs, no one would feel the slightest comfort. He then spoke, "so what's next?"

"You rest," Levi responded plainly.

"Oh, that sounds good," Junior responded. He could definitely use the rest after a trip like that, but just before he could recline back onto the bed, thoughts of the events that occurred earlier on filled his mind. Cowering before the titan, watching as Irene got slammed by the giant while he stood there shaking in his boots, bawling his eyes out like a little boy. He couldn't save her because he was just a coward.

A fucking coward.

All he could think about was how to repay Irene, how he could probably save her one day. Well those were simply fantasies, nothing but fantasies.

But then, nothing was stopping him from making it a reality. All he needed was to get back onto the training grounds and work even harder to improve his physical stats. Maybe then, he would be able to repay her.

"How long till I can get back to training with the others?" Junior asked, new goal in mind. He needed to get to work as soon as possible.

"You won't," Mikasa responded, deadpan as usual.

"What?" Junior asked, surprised—not really, by the words that escaped the woman's mouth.

"I said, you're not going back to training when you heal up," She explained, sporting a serious face, "once you're out, your father and I will find you somewhere to lay low with your siblings."

"B-But, why?" he asked, disappointed that his goals were already being threatened.

"Junior, you can't fight any more," his mother said.

"Why?" he asked again before realising, "I know that I really fucked up on our first expedition but that can change," he tried, hoping his mother would trust him, "just give me a chance."

The woman shook her head.

Junior knew that his mother could be as adamant as his father when it came to this sort of thing. When she said no to something, she meant it. Changing her mind was something he had witnessed only his uncle Eren and, on occasion, his father do. Whatever it was they had, he didn't. He had to try a different strategy. One that he had never imagined himself doing.

Junior then gulped before gaining a more confident facial expression, "well, if you won't trust me then, too bad. I'm still going to go train like everyone else and I-I don't care whether you like it or not."

He couldn't help but feel his arms tremble after talking back at his mother like that. It felt both terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

"Junior, you are done. I'm not going to let you get hurt again," Mikasa said, crossing her arms and visibly not unaffected by her son's challenge.

"B-But mom, I can do this," he said, taking a hold of his mother's hand, throwing her pleading look, hoping he could warm her up like he always did, "I just need a bit more time—and your support. Please mom, I really want to do this."

He watched as his mother kept her cold face on, not showing any signs of changing her mind. He still had keep his hopes up. She loved him and practically almost always on his side of an argument. He just had to be a bit patient with her. He then noticed the corner of her lip twitched. He was doing it. He was finally breaking down her wall 'hell yeah'.

"Tough shit."

"Wha…" he asked, taken aback by the response he got. The fact that she said it so coldly really made him feel uneasy. She always gave in to his pleas but today was different. She never spoke coldly to him at all. It seemed like there was no changing her mind and he was getting desperate. He then shifted his gaze to where his father had been standing quietly. For once, he was really depending on the dwarf.

"Tch."

Of course the old man wouldn't stick up for him. Asking him for help was as hopeless as explaining clickbait to Doug. There was no changing her mind now.

"Junior," Levi's deep voice called out to him, snapping his gaze back at his father who sported his usual bored look, "Wil you survive to the end of things?"

"Eh…" Junior started. What kind of question was that? It's not like he wanted to die but then… judging by past experiences, death wasn't something he felt was too far off from him. He even started to reconsider showing interest in continuing the fight anyway.

"You gonna fucking talk or what?"

"I'll try…" Junior said, doubt evident in his tone.

"You'll try?" Levi asked, eyebrow slightly cocked. He then straightened himself and took a step towards the bed, leaning in to the point that their similar faces were only inches apart, "you don't try to live, Junior. In the world we're in, it's either you live, or you fucking die," the man's intimidating expression made him uncomfortable, "so… which is it, Ackerman. Will you live… or die?"

The question was straight forward but Junior still put in a lot of thought into his decision. Was he going to survive or was he going to die? His father once again put him in a tight spot but then. Maybe this was his way of supporting him and he knew he shouldn't blow it.

"I-I'll live," Junior finally brought out, sighing when his father retracted. He then watched as he looked at his mother.

"Mikasa, he needs to continue."

"No, Levi," she shook her head before looking up at him, "We already talked about this. He's done."

"Come on, the boy says he can do it, then let him do it," Levi persisted, "don't wanna hold him back, do you?"

"Levi, I'm not holding him back," Mikasa started, "I'm protecting him."

"Protecting him from what, proving something to himself?" Levi asked, "this is what I always say, babying our kids does not help them at all."

"Levi, are you, serious right now?" She asked, rising from her seat, the look of disappointment on her face, "we talked about this. We agreed that he was done."

"Well maybe I don't agree with you anymore," he said as though whatever they had agreed on meant nothing. His mother was visibly offended by his words.

"Levi as his mother, I say he is done," Mikasa started, pulling out the authority she had over his well-being.

"And as his father, I say he is not done," he responded, doing the same. He then stepped closer to her, keeping his gaze locked with her glare, "and as your captain, I say that my word is final. You shall not challenge me, Ackerman."

Junior watched as the two stood in silence, neither backing down from the other. He had occasionally seen them argue but seeing this was completely different. For once, his dad was on his side and was... winning. He still had yet to make it up to him and this was adding up.

After a moment of silence, Mikasa backed down, "you know, what? I'm tired," she said before stepping away from her husband, avoiding his gaze completely. She then proceeded to walk towards the door.

"M-Mom?" Junior called out, surprised by her sudden decision to leave.

"Do what you want. I don't care," she waved him off before leaving the room, leaving both Levis on their own.

"Shit," the older man cursed. It was probably because he knew he would possibly receive an earful later on in the day.

"Thanks dad," Junior started, "for sticking up for me, thanks," he clarified before placing his hand on the back of his neck, "It really means a lot." Perhaps this was a sign that there was hope for their relationship.

Levi then proceeded to walk towards the door, offering nor response, much to his son's dismay. He then stopped to stand under the arch. Without looking back, he spoke, "I'm on the verge of fucking up my marriage because of you. Don't screw this up." With that, the captain left.

"I won't," he said to himself before finally reclining onto the bed. He definitely had a lot of work to do, now. He then started to let his mind wander. A thought then hit him.

"I better check on Irene."

* * *

"She's waking up."

Irene's eye's fluttered open, allowing her back into the world of the living. The first thing she caught sight of were a pair of icy blue eyes looking back down at her. They belonged to her father, the person she was relieved to see at that moment.

"D-Dad," she spoke, her voice shaky.

"Hi, Irene," he responded, offering her that nice smile of his. "how are you feeling?"

Irene actually could have never felt better but a part of her held that back, "A-A bit better," she responded, feigning a strained smile. She then glanced around, noticing the new environment. "Where are we?"

"Oh, we're in Fort Rose now," he explained, "we arrived here a few hours ago." The Commander then sighed before letting the concern show in his eyes, "When we arrived, the first thing I was told is that you were unconscious and I actually got scared for the first time in a while. I'm glad you're alright."

Irene felt her insides warm up for a bit. The last time she saw him looking this worried was the time she came home with a black eye and she refused to tell him about her being attacked by some of the other students at her school.

"Of course I'm alright," she started, "I am a Smith after all." She then decided to sit up, looking out the window and seeing the city. it definitely looked better than the town in Fort Maria. Maybe it was because she spent so much time under the fort that she had forgotten what it was like to be in a nice city, "it feels good to see such a nice place after a while."

"Oh yes," Erwin agreed, "everyone looked so excited once we arrived. Who could blame them? They just went out and risked their lives for the first time."

Irene then remembered the reason they were at another fort. Concerns about her comrades came to mind, "where's everyone else?"

"Oh, they're all cleaning right now," he answered.

"Cleaning?" she raised an eyebrow, wondering what they were cleaning considering they just got there.

"The Garrisons offered us a one of their old bases to use as a temporary HQ," he started, "Uncle Levi found the place 'filthy' and made me order everyone to clean up the place until it was spotless. If he has already arrived back at HQ. They're probably cleaning all over again."

"Of course," she sighed. Levi had made it a priority to ensure that all places around him were clean. Even if it meant cutting out of the soldiers' resting and meal times. She then realised that they weren't the only authority figures anymore, "so… the Garrisons, what are they like?"

Erwin then gained an amused look before letting out a light chuckle, "they're a… rowdy bunch. That's for sure," he then gained a more serious expression, sort of like the one he had when in commander mode "Irene. You almost died on your first expedition and I know that you could possibly be scarred. Therefore, I'm going to ask you if you're still willing to fight on or maybe you would like to rest."

Hearing her father's tone and looking at his face made Irene begin to think. Her father was offering her a way out, something she had never expected to see. Was he starting to doubt her abilities? Was he starting to think she couldn't manage this? The blonde then shook her head. There was no way she was chickening out because of some accident—not that it had any long lasting effects on her anyway.

"No, Commander, I will fight. I will fight until humanity seizes the land once again," she started, gaining a determined expression, "Even if it means me getting hospitalised over and over again, even if it means me laying down my life. I will offer up my heart." She said, bringing her fist to her chest.

"heh…" Erwin chuckled, much to her surprise, "at ease soldier. This is just too much…"

"Dad…" Irene asked, bushy eyebrow cocked, wondering what had gotten into the serious man.

"You have spirit, Irene. I'll give you that," he said before taking a seat at the edge of the bed, regaining his composure. He then looked down at her, making her get a shrinking feeling. She sometimes forgot how large her father actually was.

"what was so funny just now?" she asked, feeling a bit embarrassed by the man.

"Irene, I thought Sadies told you to stop talking like that," Erwin said, allowing the girl to remember the training sessions she spent with the bald commandant.

"Yeah, well…" she then lowered her eyes, "but you talk like that all the time and I've noticed that whenever you see me with that same drive that you have, you always have this proud look on your face. I just love seeing you so happy."

"Irene, I act that way because it's who I am. Those are the goals I've set that allow me to speak, think and act the way I do. The fact that I am a leader means I have to be able to inspire and push people forward. To be the one to ignite hope in them where there seems to be no chance at all," he explained, "that leadership also comes with experience. Irene, I'm an adult man that has led Paradis' Armed forces for years and here I am leading the Survey Corps. I already knew what I was getting myself into when I moved to the Fort and I know that I have a lot on my shoulders right now."

He then placed a hand on her shoulder, "you are still a teenager with a lot of time to discover yourself. There are so many people here that can mentor you and give you all the guidance you need but in the end, I want you to be your own person, with your own goals and with your own conviction. And trust me, I will be the proudest dad ever."

Irene couldn't help but wipe away a stray tear after her father's words. Perhaps he was right, she didn't have to mould herself into Erwin Smith, she had to grow into the best possible Irene Smith she could be, "thanks dad," she said before reaching out to hug him.

"No problem," he responded a phone buzz was heard, forcing them to pull away.

Irene watched as the man brought his phone to his ear and began to speak, his once calm face slowly morphed into his more stoic one. He pulled away his phone and looked at his daughter, "sorry Irene but I have to go. The captains and I are meeting up with the Garrison Commander Pixis. We have a lot to discuss."

"Oh, okay," she nodded as the man got up. He then gave her a wave before walking out.

"Well that was something," she sighed to herself after she remained alone. Her father was right, she did need to stop sounding so reckless all the time. she then looked at her bandaged hand, feeling tempted, she slowly unwrapped the covering to reveal her hand.

What was there was a large stitch with some steam rising from it, signalling the healing process. "At least I'm healing quickly."

"Irene?"

"Shit!" she gasped before covering her hand and looking back in the direction of the voice, "Levi?"

There he was, Levi Ackerman Jr. standing in her room wearing nothing but black slides, white breeches and unbuttoned shirt. Did he do it on purpose?

"Is it me or was there titan steam escaping your hand right now?" he asked, raising a finger and pointing it at where her hand lay buried in the beddings.

"No…" she responded, obviously defeated as the boy had a sceptical look on his face. He then proceeded to place is thumb and index finger under his chin while letting his jaw hang a bit open, his blue eyes not leaving her one bit.

"This reminds me," he started, "Irene, back when you saved me on that building. You talked to that titan and it listened to you. How come?"

Irene felt her heart skip as she remembered all of that. He was there when she spoke to it. How could she explain things now, "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Levi. You hit your head remember. Maybe you were seeing things.

"Though I may have felt a bit dizzy, I was not hallucinating when I saw that," he started.

"Levi, is this some sort of joke?" she asked, still avoiding the answer and now avoiding his gaze, "if it is, it isn't very funny."

"Come on Irene, stop bullshitting me. Whenever you do that, there's something you're hiding" he said, obviously aware that she wasn't being complete honest, "come on, you can tell me."

Irene mentally cursed herself for letting her face betray her. She still couldn't tell him, "Levi, look… what you're saying isn't making sense."

"Tch, come on Irene. Are you gonna hide this from me, too?" he asked, visibly irritated, "I've told you nearly everything about myself yet here you are revealing that you obviously have been keeping a lot from me. Do you really not trust me that much? What else are you hiding from me?"

Irene then felt herself get irritated as well, "well excuse me. I had no idea I had to tell you everything," she defended herself, "I appreciate that you trust me enough to tell me stuff and I admit that I trust you too. However, some things are just none of your business!"

"I know but still…"

"Still… what? Levi. When did we get married for you to act all nosy?"

She watched as the boy's face flushed a bit. He obviously took her statement out of context, "Levi, I'd appreciate if you would acknowledge that there are boundaries between us and that you do not have the right to get angry at me for choosing to keep things private."

She watched as the boy stared at her, his eyes showing all sorts of mixed emotions. Perhaps she was a bit harsh on him. he was still probably suffering from heart break.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, finally.

"Hey Irene, I heard you were in hospital and immediately came over," Doug panted as he stumbled into the room. He then quieted down as he had probably caught the tension, "is anything wrong?"

Irene briefly glanced at Junior before looking back at her boyfriend. Hm, Doug was her boyfriend. That still didn't sound right in her head but what could she do. Behind all the weirdness was a sweet and goofy guy, "there's nothing wrong, Doug just… please come sit."

"Oh, ok," he apologized before deciding to walk over a plop onto the bed next his girlfriend and pulled her into a hug, "I was worried about you."

"Yeah… I missed you too," she responded before her boyfriend pulled away.

"So, what we talking about?" he asked looking between the two.

Irene then thought about it. Maybe she should tell them about it. It would possibly clear the air between Junior and her. Though she knew she was right to have defended herself, a part of her felt guilty for hurting him even more than he probably was.

"Hey Levi, take a seat," she offered.

"Mmm," he hummed in a deeper voice, puffing out his chest and stuffing his hands in his pockets before walking to take a seat next to Doug. The idiot did do it on purpose after all.

It was time for her to let it out. To tell people a secret she had never shared with anyone and now she was sharing it with two of the guys in her life. Well, all things had to be let out some day right, "guys, don't think I'm crazy but I can talk to titans."

"What!" Douglas shouted, forcing Irene to cover his mouth.

"Too loud," she scolded, looking over his shoulder at Junior, who had given her his attention.

"This can't be real," Doug started before remembering, "like, explain how this shit works man?"

"It's like I'm able to hear their voices and I guess… they can hear mine," she explained, not failing to get a bit surprised by her own words. They sounded ridiculous out loud.

"So like… what do they say?" Doug asked, surprisingly paying attention.

Irene tried to remember everything she had heard them say. Those moans and groans always brought her sadness. She then frowned before speaking, "it's like they're crying."

"Crying?"  
"Yeah, crying," she confirmed, "it's like they're crying for help. Like they want to be freed from their titan bodies," she explained, tensing up a bit.

Doug immediately noticed and took her hands in his, "don't worry, I gotcha."

Irene then smiled at him before continuing, "even that time when I broke down as Captain Hange experimented on Sonny Bean. He was pleading… no begging for the pain to end, begging to be set free from that body. He was tired, all he wanted was to be free and be who he once was," she said as a stray tear rolled down her cheek, "I felt his pain. I knew what it was like to be held back, to be treated like some sort of object."

"It's okay babe, calm down," Doug said before pulling her into a hug, forcing her to sniffle against his chest, unaware of the uncomfortable shifting behind them.

"Thanks Doug," she said after pulling away, "guys, all I'm going to ask of you is to not tell anyone about this. Let this stay with and only with us."

"Aw… look at us. We're like best friends now," Doug said as he threw his shoulders around both Irene and Junior, "I love you guys. Hey I think we should have like a group name, something like… the three musketeers."

"No way," the others said in unison.

"Wha… why?" he asked, shocked.

"It's too unoriginal," Junior commented.

"Not to mention cheesy," Irene added with a slight chuckle before glancing at Junior, who she found staring at her and they both looked away immediately.

"Say, Irene," Junior started.

"Yeah?" she asked, wondering what he could possibly want to say to her.

"Like, for how long have you been able to do this?"

"Oh…" Irene responded before thinking. It had been quite a while since she had gained her ability, "about 6 years."

When she said the last part, she couldn't help but notice the shocked look on Junior's face. Did she say something wrong?

"Irene," he finally spoke up, "the titan outbreak happened a year ago. How were you able to speak to titans 6 years ago?"

Irene's eyes widened in realisation, of course she didn't get to tell the whole truth. She then prepared to speak, "we…"

Boom! Doug had farted, interrupting her mid-speech and forcing both her and Junior to reprimand him.

* * *

"Commander Erwin of the Survey Corps," an old voice greeted, belonging to a bald man with a wide smile on his face. His eyes were barely open and no one knew if it was because of the alcohol flask he had on his desk or if it was just old age. Still, the man stood to give a salute filled with energy it almost betrayed his appearance.

"Commander Pixis of the Garrison Regiment," Erwin responded returning the salute, Levi and Hange mimicking him from a few centimetres behind him.

"Please, sit," he said, motioning for the chair, allowing him to sit while the Captains stood behind him.

Levi glanced around the room. It looked like a regular office except for the alcohol case on the wall. It wasn't pristine enough for him but it wasn't bad either.

"I heard, of the fall of Fort Maria," Pixis started, finally getting into conversation.

"It was unfortunate but we managed to secure all the lives of the civilians," Erwin responded, his game face on. He had just gotten there and he already looked ready for business. Well it was Erwin after all.

"That's good news," he responded, "as for the scouts?"

"We faced some casualties," Erwin responded, "their sacrifices have not gone in vain."

"That, we can agree upon," Pixis nodded before leaning back into his seat, "Well Commander Erwin, you and your team are welcome to stay in Fort Rose for as long as you wish. There are enough resources to sustain both your, and my soldiers."

"For that I am grateful," Erwin nodded before speaking, "however, we may not stay long. I feel we have more business to attend to."

Pixis raised his eyebrow, "really?" he asked, "and what do you suggest is the next course of action?"

"I believe we should work on repairing the wall back at Fort Rose," Erwin started, "I cannot just let the titans take what's ours once again. We need to reclaim our fort and ensure that we still have the upper hand. Therefore, by tomorrow I'm going to get my soldiers to prepare to go on another expedition soon. Perhaps your forces may have volunteers that would be willing to aid us."

"I see," Pixis nodded in acknowledgement before speaking, "unfortunately, I feel that would be unwise, Erwin."

"How so?" the blonde asked, slightly surprised by the bald man's words.

"You'll be acting too soon," he explained, "you aren't even prepared."

"Too soon?" Erwin asked, "how could it be too soon to take back our land. The refugees currently don't have homes. Besides, I intend to get the soldiers training by tomorrow morning. We'll definitely be prepared."

"We can easily set up camps," Pixis answered.

"How about the resources, then?" Erwin asked, "you've received an entire town today. Will your resources sustain everyone including the original inhabitants?"

"Of course, we're the food capital," Pixis responded, in a matter of fact tone

"Pixis, you have to understand that we cannot just sit and wait for the next giant titan to show up and kick a hole in the wall."

"Erwin, you have to understand that you are over working," Pixis defended, "you just arrived here, barely surviving and you're already considering throwing yourself back into that carnage. Honestly, where has your humanity gone. I mean, just look at how exhausted your soldiers are."

Levi watched as the man pointed and him and Hange, trying to emphasise a point. He had to admit that he was impressed by the guy's ability to take Erwin down, verbally. However, it could be because the Commander was exhausted himself.

Pixis then pointed at Hange, "Captain Hange, do you feel the need to relax and have some personal time?"

"Well, now that you mention it…" Hange started, "I actually do feel the need to take a breather and work on some of the glitches on our equipment. A lot of soldiers were left without bikes to ride during the ride."

Pixis then pointed at Levi, "Captain Levi?"

"What she said," was all he could come up with. Sure he was tired but he was ready to get to work if Erwin said so. Plus, he didn't feel like seeing Mikasa for a while.

"See, Commander Erwin," Pixis asked, "allow them time to relax and catch their breaths. Later we can then discuss your idea. And I insist that you rest as well, Commander."

"Of course," Erwin sighed in defeat. He then got up, "thank you for your time, Commander," he said before giving him a salute, his soldiers doing the same and the other commander doing likewise. "have a good day."

* * *

"So… what next?" Levi asked the Commander as they walked towards their bikes.

"We relax I suppose," Erwin said, running a hand through his blonde hair. He really was tired.

Levi stopped when he felt around his pocket, "shit, I don't have my keys," he said. He then remembered that they were in the room Junior was placed in. he had to go back, "you go ahead, I'll catch up with you."

"Alright," they responded before getting onto their bikes and driving off.

Levi then turned and began to walk. He let out a yawn. He must have really been tired too. Nothing a cup of tea couldn't fix. Ah, he forgot his tea set back at the other fort. Well, nothing's stopping him from buying a new one.

"Oh my Gosh, Levi!" a voice called out, forcing the Captain to freeze on the spot. That voice was all too familiar to him. He instantly followed the direction of the voice and felt his heart skip a beat.

Familiar ginger hair was the first thing that caught his mind, right after were a pair of amber eyes on a petite frame he knew too well—way too well. There she was, the person he hadn't seen in years.

"Petra?"

**Hey guys, managed to sneak you a new chapter and I hope you liked it. This was a bit tiring to write but its done. Anyways, I enjoyed writing for you all and I still intend to write more of this. I hope you're all still with me and I hope you're satisfied with Irene's news as well as the return of a familiar character. Let's see how our story unfolds shall we?**

**Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, I managed to write another chapter for ya'll. I hope you enjoyed the previous one. I've actually been updating way more than I expected. In this chapter, we'll get to spend time as the characters unwind from their first expedition. Well let's get into a very LONG chapter.**

"Oh my gosh Levi," Petra excitedly squealed as she walked up to him, "I can't believe you're here. It's been years"

"…Yeah." Was all the Captain could come up with. He happened to be a little surprised by the appearance of the ginger-haired woman he hadn't seen in over a decade. The last time he spoke to her, she was yelling in his face, expressing how grateful she was that she would never have to see him again. years later, she's squealing at him like a little girl.

The woman seemed to notice that the man was blankly staring down at her and she then let out a sigh before slightly frowning, "Levi, I know we may have left things on a bad note back then and I said some pretty nasty things to you before you left but…" she then shifted her gaze downwards while holding her left bicep with her right hand, "after having some time to mature and move on, I've really come to regret my actions," she then lifted her eyes up to his, "I'm really sorry."

Levi continued to look down at her, his eyes not leaving her. She did seem really sorry. "It's fine," he started and noticed her perk up.

"Really?" she asked.

The Captain only nodded in response before witnessing her face retain its previous vibrant smile.

Since when did he think her smile was vibrant?

"That's great," she beamed at him. she then decided to change the topic, "say, how's the family?"

"Mikasa, the kids… they're okay," he responded, suddenly wondering where the twins had run off to. The damn brats disappeared as soon as they arrived at the new base.

"Wait… kids?" Petra's eyes widened in surprise, clearly unaware of the fact that the captain had more children. But then, they hadn't seen each other in years.

"Yeah, me and Mikasa got hitched and had three more," he explained, the woman nodding as she took in the information.

"Oh wow, congratulations. That's great."

"Thanks," he responded before taking a look at the shorter woman. She appeared to be dressed in the same uniform the Garrison soldiers wore, which was similar to the Scouts' uniform except the main colour was brown. It was now his turn to ask, "I take it you're a Garrison Soldier."

The woman nodded, "oh yeah. When you were dismissed, we were deployed to the Fort Rose to help train recruits. In fact, I was actually patrolling when I saw you," she explained before remembering, "oh, Oluo and the others are here too. They'll be excited to see you again—especially Oluo."

Levi remembered all his ex-squad members, the people he used to lead back when he was in Paradis' Army. Humanity's strongest soldier needed a squad that held great promise to lead and Petra, Oluo, Eld, and Gunther were the perfect candidates. Come to think of it, he wouldn't mind seeing them all again, to catch up on lost time.

"Petra, come on!" called a woman with platinum blonde hair that ended just below her cheeks. In front of her silver eyes were a pair of spectacles and she wore a stern face. She also wore a Garrison uniform much like Petra and rested her hand on her hip, expressing her impatience.

Petra then looked back at the woman before looking back at Levi, "I have to go, my partner's getting cranky."

"Okay…" Levi responded before Petra pulled him into a hug. It was uncalled for, definitely uncalled for but then… he didn't feel the desire to pull away. Her hug was as gentle as he remembered it, making him feel something he hadn't felt for a while. He couldn't pin point what it was but all he knew was that it was sort of…

Relaxing.

Petra then pulled away and beamed up at him, "I really missed you, Levi," she started locking her eyes with his for the last time before retreating towards her partner, "see you around."

Levi was left frozen in his spot, watching as the woman walked off with her colleague. He never understood why the hug made him feel that way and a part of him told him it was wrong; he had a wife after all. But another part of him justified him, telling him he deserved the good feeling, reminding him that his wife was probably still angry with him.

without wasting any time, Levi stuffed his hands in his pockets before walking back to his motorcycle.

He arrived at the base, eventually, and was met with the sight of the scouts lounging around. Curious about the cleaning they had done, he brushed his finger under a table and found a mass of dust accumulated on his pale fingers. That was when he ordered all the scouts in charge of the bottom floor to re-clean—again.

After ensuring that the job was done correctly, he decided to finally retreat to his quarters and catch some shut-eye.

"Hi daddy!" Marie was the first to greet him, running up to him.

"Hey, kiddo," he responded as he lifted her and placed her against his hip. He entered the room and caught no sign of his wife. He then glanced back at his daughter, "where's mommy?"

"She's in the bath," she responded, pointing at a door that was probably led to the bathroom.

Levi then proceeded to step in and close the door behind him. He put her down and took a better look at the room. It was very similar to his old quarters. It also had a desk, closet, bookshelf, and personal bathroom. The major difference was the fact that it was slightly larger with a wooden floor instead of tiles and came with a coat hanger. It was clean, very close to his standards. Mikasa had probably cleaned up when she got here.

The door to the bathroom opened, revealing his significant other in a white, knee-length, long-sleeved nightdress and a pair of slippers, her scarf around her neck. He found himself slowly preparing for her deadly wrath.

"Mommy, daddy's here," Marie said to her mother and the woman's eyes immediately went over to her husband.

"Hi Levi," she smiled at him before walking over to him and proceeded to help him take off his jacket.

"Hi," he responded, somewhat shocked by her greeting. This was not what he expected when he got back. When he got her to back off from Junior, she looked at him in a way that he had never seen. In a way that made his heart beat speed up a bit. He would never admit it but it was sort of unnerving.

"Oh, I ran a bath for you," Mikasa said after hanging his jacket on the coat hanger. She then crouched and began to work on his boots.

With well-hidden surprise, Levi watched as the woman helped him undress. Something was off. It wasn't like that was something she'd never do, it was more on the fact that… dammit, he couldn't place things together. There was just something off about her.

He eventually stepped out of his boots, allowing the half-Asian woman chance to place them next to hers near the shoe rack. The woman then proceeded to hand him a towel, "here, I made sure to get you a clean towel. If you need any help getting something clean you can call on me."

"Thanks," he said, hesitantly grabbing the fabric before waking into the bathroom. Well at least he could finally clean himself up.

About half an hour later, he stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a white t-shirt and grey sweat-pants.

"Someone sure enjoyed their bath," Mikasa said from where she sat on the bed, book in hand while Marie was fast asleep beside her. The little tyke was probably exhausted from the trip and finally realised it when she was on the bed.

"Yeah, that bath was all I needed. Thanks," he said as he hung the towel on the hanger and made his way over to the bed and plopping onto it. Releasing a yawn, "man, I've never felt this tired in a while," he said after yawning, feeling himself fall victim to the same effect the bed had on his daughter. He let his eyes wander to where his wife sat reading, "watcha reading?"

"Oh, just some old book I found when cleaning the room," she responded, securing a bookmark on the page she was reading before closing the book and placing it on the end table. She then looked into his blue eyes again, "how's your leg?"

"My leg? Fine," he responded before the woman rose from her position and went to sit at the end of his side of the bed, placing his leg on her lap, "the hell are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a massage, honey," she responded before doing as she said.

Honey?

She was doing it again. Why was she acting like that? Sure there's nothing wrong with her pampering him but really, there was something off. Levi really felt himself growing weary. Was she planning to off him any time soon because this did not feel normal in the slightest.

Nope, he had to get to the bottom of things.

"don't worry. I'm definitely not plotting your murder" the woman said. It wasn't surprising that she sensed what he was thinking. They'd been together for years.

"Levi…" she started, surprised when he retracted his leg from her grasp. He then placed his legs on the floor and scooted next to her, "Levi, what's going on?"

"Mikasa, we just argued a couple of hours ago and you left looking at me like I killed your parents or something," he started, "I come back ready to hear how much of an asshole I am but end up being treated like shit didn't happen. I mean… you called me honey and you never call me that—after we argue," he explained as the woman looked at him with her neutral face. "Mikasa, the fuck's going on with you?"

The woman only cocked an eyebrow at him, sporting an amused look on her pretty face, "I never knew there was something wrong with taking care of your partner."

"Last time I checked, partners didn't make each other think they were secretly plotting to stab each other in their sleep," Levi responded, humouring his wife.

"Okay," she started, "but first things first, I don't appreciate hearing the word killing and my parents in the same sentence so if you don't mind…"

"My bad," he apologized, remembering the reason why.

"Now, the thing is…" Mikasa started, "when I got here, I was still pretty pissed and since I didn't know any gyms nearby, I started cleaning up to blow off steam. Apparently I was over doing it because Marie kept on asking if I was okay." She then sighed, "thanks to you, I've started stress cleaning."

He watched as his wife got up and walked over to the end table, grabbing the book she was reading and walking back to sit next to him.

"When I was done dusting the bookshelf I found this book and coincidentally, it happened to be a parenting book," she said, motioning towards the book, "reading this book helped me realise that I've been a bit… much."

"You were right, I've been babying our kids for way too long and that's probably why Junior did break down the way he did," she started, "I've been nothing but hard on you, forgetting that you mean well for our kids too," her face then softened, "I shouldn't have blown up at you like that and I guess all I can say is that I'm…sorry."

Levi looked at his wife's eyes. Now that seemed more believable than the massaging and name-calling. "You don't have to apologize for anything," he started, "he's your son and you have every right to be concerned about him—and be angry at anyone who threatens his safety, including this midget you call your husband," he finished while pointing at himself at the last part.

"That's true but…" she started, "I'm still going to have to give Junior more space and give you more of my trust." She then held out her hand, "from now on, we'll push him as far as we can. truce."

Normally, this sort of exchange could only be imagined between children and seeing Mikasa offering such a gesture made her look… childish? No. Levi took in her appearance and noticed the way her grey eyes showed some sort of eagerness. Her eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed and overall soft but straight face was somewhat… cute. Perhaps even endearing.

Levi equally took her hand in his, "truce," he responded before they gave each other a light squeeze. Not letting go of her hand, Levi thought of something, "hey, Erwin's given us some time off from work."

"Really?" Mikasa asked, disbelief evident in her tone.

Levi nodded, "…well it was more of Commander Pixis' insistence that we take a break," he explained, "I was thinking we could head out to that park tomorrow with the kids for a picnic or something like that. We can even invite some friends to hang around if you like. So what do you think?"

Mikasa appeared to be processing the thought while Levi watched, patiently waiting for his wife's response. He then noticed the way the corners of her lips twitched upwards before a small smile formed on her face. He raised his eyebrow, signalling that he was waiting for a verbal response.

"That sounds fine."

"Great," he returned the smile.

"But then, what time are the snacks going to be made?" she asked, probably acknowledging how short notice the outing seemed.

"Don't worry, I'll be up before everyone else," he said confidently, acknowledging the fact that he only slept a few hours a night.

"Great, then you can wake me up as soon as you do," she started, "We can do it together like we used to."

The captain couldn't help but remember the times when their friends and family would say they were coming over for dinner or lunch and they would have to tag team in the kitchen, making sure everything was perfect. He had to admit that he really missed those days, the days when they were a regular family, the days when there were no titans wreaking havoc.

"Okay," he responded before another thought popped into his mind, "I saw a cinema on my way here and maybe we can go check out a movie later on," he suggested, "I bet there's some horrible romcom or horror movie we could trash—like we used to."

Mikasa's only response was to lean in and plant a kiss on his lips. She then pulled back and looked at him with her gorgeous grey eyes. All the coldness the they once held had been smothered by the warmth they now carried. The last time he saw them look like that was the day before the titans made their unrequested debut.

Suddenly, a great feeling flowed through his body. He felt even better than the way Petra made him feel earlier on in the day. The feeling was the same one he got whenever he'd wake up next to Mikasa's gorgeous face. He felt the same way whenever he'd sit at the table during dinner and gaze at the family he was graced with; four beautiful children and an amazing life-partner, not regretting any of the decisions he had made over the years. He felt the same way whenever the day would end and he would lay down to rest, holding Mikasa securely in his arms. He felt…

Content.

After living in a world where all those he cared about kept on dying, the only one to bring him this feeling was Mikasa, his wife.

"I think tomorrow's going to be an amazing day."

"Me too."

* * *

"You sure you don't need help with that, Junior?" Mikasa asked, looking back at her son, who was carrying a drinks cooler—struggling to carry a drinks cooler.

"Actually…"

"No, he's fine," Levi cut off his son as he walked beside him carrying a meat cooler in his right hand and their rented grill in the left, "he's barely lifting anything."

"Since when did you become Junior?" Junior threw a glance at his father.

"About the same time you got a girlfriend."

"ugh, asshole…" Junior mumbled before turning his gaze back to his mother, mouthing a "help me."

Offering her son an apologetic shrug, Mikasa turned and looked at their destination.

The Ackermans had just arrived at Fort Rose's Rose Park, their chosen picnic site. It looked just like any other park with a large amount of bright green grass and several rose bushes dotted around the place. On different spots were gravel patches with benches probably meant for barbecues. The most noticeable thing was perhaps the large fountain in the centre.

There were also a bunch of people about, kids kicking a ball around while their respective families and friends enjoyed their times together, adolescents probably on dates were seated in secluded areas, avoiding the watchful eyes of the adults present, Garrison guards patrolling the area not without a drink in hand of course.

"Fort Rose really outdid themselves with this park," Mikasa said, acknowledging the how nice the place actually was. She then spotted a free bench and proceeded to lead her family in that direction.

"Hey mom, where do we put these," Dean panted as he carried a picnic basket, Daniel right behind him with another one.

"Right there," she pointed at a spot next to the bench, allowing the twins to place them there.

"You look winded dude," Daniel said, casually patting his brother's back.

"How come you look the same?" Dean asked, surprised by how his brother had barely broken a sweat, "that shi… basket was heavy."

"Mhm," Daniel shrugged in response.

"Where are…" Mikasa started, looking around for the remainder of her family before she finally spotted the Levis were probably arguing about the drinks cooler with Marie watching them. She should've just taken it from him.

Rolling her eyes, Mikasa walked over to where the two men bickered and grabbed hold of the drinks cooler, easily lifting it, "stop arguing and come on, the meat should have at least started cooking by the time our guests got here."

She then turned and started walking.

"Mommy, thanks for stopping them," Marie said, walking right next to her mother, "I tried to stop them but they kept on arguing and arguing. It was like I wasn't even there," she sighed before putting her hands on her hips, "why are men so… clueless?"

"Trust me, I've asked myself that question my whole life." Mikasa then smiled with a cocked eyebrow, "where is all this coming from?"

"Miss Keen talks like that all the time," Marie explained. Miss Keen happened to be the woman in charge of the day care she would go to during the day back at Fort Maria.

"Really?" she asked before finally resting the cooler next to the picnic baskets. She then looked back and saw the men arrive right after her.

"Tch, why can't people clean up after themselves?" Levi asked, looking at the visibly spotless table in disgust before pulling out disinfectant spray and a cloth from God knows where, "I guess you have to do it yourself if you want it done right."

"Hey mom, can we go play?" Dean asked, pointing in the direction of the other children chasing a ball.

Mikasa shook her head, "You need to eat first," she raised her index finger while saying this. She then motioned for the picnic baskets, "now let's set the table."

"But dad's still…" Daniel started but stopped when he noticed the table sort of sparkling, "wow…"

"Come on guys, let's get to work," Mikasa started, grabbing a red checked picnic blanket from one of the baskets and placed it on the table. The twins proceeded to unload the other food contents that consisted of sandwiches, cookies, both meat and fruit pies, sausage rolls, among others.

"Mommy, can I help?" Marie asked, looking at her mother and brothers setting up the table. The girl must've been feeling left out.

"Here, you can help us set things up," she responded to which the girl nodded giddily.

"And… there," Marie said, placing the final muffin on the small pyramid they had made. "it looks perfect," she said in awe.

The table looked pretty well set, drinks cooler filled with ice and drinks right beside it while an assortment of treats decorated the table. Waking up at 4 AM for a quick grocery run proved very useful to the Ackermans. Mikasa couldn't help but smile at her family. It brought back memories of similar times, going on outings with everyone, the kids' excited babbling while she casually conversed with Levi.

"Hey, Mrs. Ackerman," Levi's voice called, snapping her from her thoughts.

"What is it, Mr. Ackerman?" she asked before turning to find Levi rummaging through a bag. He then stood straight, pulling out a black material up with him. Mikasa then sighed, "how do you still have that?"

"There are two articles of clothing I cannot do without. My cravat and…" he started before fastening the material around him, "my barbecue apron," he finished, motioning for the black apron he wore. On the front was written "Humanity's Greatest Cook"

Talk about cheesy.

"Please tell me you're taking that off when Irene gets here," Junior said from where he sat at the bench, cell phone in his right hand while he propped his head against his left.

"Fuck, no," he said before turning to the grill and placed some patties onto the grill. Soon, the aroma of well marinated meat filled the air.

"Looks like we arrived right on time," a familiar voice called.

"Commander, Irene, glad you could make it," Mikasa offered a smile at the two blonde as she greeted them.

"There was no way we'd pass out a chance to have a relaxing picnic," Erwin said before their hands separated, "oh and please, we're off duty. Formalities aside," he insisted, flashing her a charming smile.

"No problem, Erwin," she nodded before motioning around, "feel free to help yourself to as much as you like. Levi's getting the meat ready so you'll have to make due with these snacks for now."

"Oh my gosh, Mrs. Ackerman these are amazing," Irene said after taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches, Erwin agreeing right beside her.

"Don't take all the credit Mrs. Ackerman," Levi said from his position at the grill.

Mikasa rolled her eyes, before looking back at the blondes, "Levi made the sandwiches," she explained, "but be sure to try the pie. It'll put the sandwiches to shame."

"Noted," Erwin started before excusing himself, "excuse me, I need to have a chat with Humanity's Greatest Cook over there."

"Irene!" Marie said before hopping into the blonde girl's arms, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, cutie," she responded, smiling at Marie.

"Oh come on. I want to show you something I learnt," Marie said before the blonde started to walk in the directions she gave.

Mikasa watched as Irene walked off with Marie, Junior quickly joining them I their walk. Trying his best to get close to her. Even after such a heartbreak, he was still into her.

Her poor little boy was in love.

There was something about the way he would look at the blonde girl and try so hard to catch her attention that she found somewhat amusing. In actuality, it reminded her of someone.

Her gaze then shifted over to the grill where her husband roasted the meat, casually chatting with his much taller best friend. Thoughts of how their relationship had grown flowed through her head. The time when they were rivals in the military to the time he got her pregnant. Throughout the course of her pregnancy, the had evolved from rivals, to acquaintances, to friends, to co-parents and finally to husband and wife. Time had moved huh.

"The fuck are you staring at?"

Mikasa snapped out of her thoughts and noticed that the two men were looking at her, Erwin looking curious and Levi looking the way he always did. Levi was the one that asked the question. It was these times when she'd wonder how she ended up loving him because he always had his way of ruining the moment. From what she knew, most partners would ask an "are you okay" or give a concerned look but Levi was... Levi.

Mikasa only shook her head, subtly rolling her eyes, in response before turning towards the rest of the park. She felt herself get a bit excited when she spotted three familiar faces.

"Hey, Mikasa!" Eren shouted, a little too loudly as Historia gently nudged him in the side as a sign.

"I'm glad you guys could make it," Mikasa greeted, actually beaming at them.

"There was no way we were going to pass this up," Armin was the next to respond.

She then watched as Eren tried his best to settle his nerves, "Hey, Levi… Commander." The poor man had a thing for trying to get on Levi's good graces but Levi being Levi simply countess failed attempts.

"Jaeger, nice to see you," Erwin responded while Levi kept his eyes on the grill, clearly ignoring the brunette.

* * *

"And that's how you do it?" Marie said, holding out a not so perfectly made flower crown in her hands. She was offering it to Irene who, lifted her and allowed her to place it on her head.

"How do I look?" she asked the toddler.

"You look really pretty," Marie cooed at her.

Pretty? No, she wasn't pretty, she was beautiful.

Junior felt his face warm up at the sight before him. Irene really did look beautiful with that no-so-good flower crown. It didn't go unnoticed how cute she looked holding Marie in her arms. It kind of gave him a warm feeling on the inside. Was this how his dad felt whenever he'd see his mother hold him as a kid? He then started to wonder how Irene would look holding his kid.

He then shook his head, shaking off the thoughts in his mind. He was only seventeen. In no way was it normal for him to be thinking about having kids with someone—especially if that someone already had a boyfriend.

"You okay, Levi?" Irene asked, offering him a concerned look.

"Oh me?" he asked, scratching the back of his head while sheepishly grinning, "I'm great…heh."

"Okay…"

Before Junior could say anything, he felt something hit him on the back of his head. "Ouch!" he said before looking back to find Dean smirking at him with a rock in his hand.

"Junior has a crush…" he said in a sing-song tone, mocking him.

"get lost," Junior rolled his eyes before looking back at Irene only to be hit again.

"Dean," he said with a scowl on his face, looking back at his brother who still wore the smirk.

"Hi," Dean casually greeted as though nothing was happening.

Once again, Junior rolled his eyes and turned back to Irene, "you enjoy being an only child, don't you?"

Irene shook her head in response, "no, I actually admire your life," Irene said before looking at Marie, "I mean, I'd kill to have a little sister like yours. I mean look at her. She's freaking adorable," Irene said, smiling at Marie whose face went a light shade of pink.

"Sure she's cute when she's feeling girly," Junior started, ignoring the rocks that kept on hitting him, "wait for her to tag team with the twins. She becomes a brat."

"I'm not a brat," Marie's lips quivered at the insult. Her eyes then became it bit watery.

Irene pulled her close, "don't worry, you're not a brat," Irene comforted her before glaring at Junior.

Shit! He screwed up. Irene was upset with him. what was he going to do? Should he apologize or may he should…

"Ouch!" he gasped. His train of thoughts was broken when Dean threw a rock that seriously hurt. He looked back at his brother and saw him chuckling at him. this was getting annoying and he had enough. Dean had to pay.

Junior then proceeded to pick up the same rock and hurl at Dean, hitting him square in the face.

"Ow!"

"Levi!" Irene gasped, concerned for the twin.

"Don't worry he's…" Junior started but stopped when he noticed Dean still covering his face. The boy's torso was trembling as sniffles could be heard. Shit he was crying.

Junior started to walk towards his brother, Irene watching from her position as the teen approached his brother. He then placed his hands on his shoulders, "Dean stop crying. I'm sorry," he apologized before Dean broke into a cry.

"D-Dean, stop crying? Junior panicked. There was no way his parents were going to spare him.

"What's going on?" Mikasa's voice went as she suddenly approached the boys, worry evident in her eyes.

"Junior threw a rock at Dean!" Marie exposed. She had this satisfied look in her eyes as though she were getting revenge for being called a brat.

Shuddering when he noticed the dark glare his mother flashed him, he backed away from Dean and allowed his mother to take a look at him.

"Dean, show me your face," Mikasa said, her voice as calm as ever.

Dean slowly removed his hands to reveal a slight cut on his lip. The blood had already dried up and his lip was only a bit swollen.

"Okay, let's clean you up," she said before easily lifting him and propping him against her hip. She then turned back to the others, "food's ready," she said before walking off.

Junior sighed as his mother had spared him. His irritation then grew again when he noticed Dean giving him the finger behind his mother's back. He then smirked once more when Mikasa flicked him in the head probably because she noticed.

Junior then turned to Irene and Marie, "let's go eat."

The three approached the table, joining everyone else to eat. There was a casual chatter going about the table. The occasional 'pass the salt' or 'did you know' was thrown about and everything ran smoothly. There were also the times when Levi or Mikasa would reprimand the twins for slurping too loudly or talking with their mouths full. It was like a regular family picnic, as though none of the people were soldiers trained to fight man eating titans.

"That was good," Junior muttered to himself as he wiped the bun crumbs off his lips. For some reason, his eyes wandered towards Erwin who seemed to be contemplating something. He then glanced back at Irene and noticed the way she had this worried look in her eyes as she subtly shook her head at her father.

Was there anything wrong?

"Can I go to the bathroom?" Daniel asked from his spot.

"Sure," Mikasa responded, nodding at him.

"Speaking of bathrooms," Erwin suddenly started, grabbing everyone's attention, "what happens when you go to the bathroom in France?"

Junior tilted his head at the random question. Deciding to look back at Irene, he noticed her still shaking her head.

"European," Erwin answered, erupting a few uneasy chuckles from the table except from the twins, who burst out laughing.

Did the commander just tell a dad joke? Junior then glanced back at Irene, who face palmed. So that was why she looked so worried. She didn't want her dad to to do anything embarrassing. Oh this was going to be fun. He then looked back Erwin, "hey um, Uncle Erwin. I didn't know you told dad-jokes."

"Who wouldn't tell dad jokes? He always laughs," he said again, gaining a few uneasy chuckles once more while Dean and Daniel laughed, the latter, bouncing in his spot as he still had to go to the bathroom.

"Dammit Erwin, that wasn't funny," Levi commented, irritation evident in his tone.

"Really?" The commander raised his eyebrow, "if it wasn't funny, then what was it?"

"Fucking terrible."

Losing interest in the men's conversation, Junior looked at Irene again. Her face was red and somehow, seeing her so embarrassed made Junior feel good. Was this his sadistic side coming out. Sure he liked her but he was getting a kick out of this. He then shifted his eyes around the table until they landed on his father, who was staring back at him. That could only mean one thing.

He was onto him and he could tell that behind that bored gaze lay malicious intentions.

"Hey Erwin," Levi started, his eyes not leaving Junior.

"What is it?" Erwin asked, curious about what his friend had to say.

"Did you hear the rumour about the butter?" he asked. In no way did it look like something funny was about to leave his mouth.

"No, I didn't hear about it," Erwin responded, clearly interested in the punch line.

Don't do it, don't do it. Junior was literally praying inside that his father would just respect himself.

"Well, I'm not going to spread it." Even though his tone was plain, Erwin gave an amused smile while the twins had full blown lost it.

Junior had started to regret his actions. He even somehow started to envy Irene because at least her father was oblivious to the fact that he was embarrassing her. That short asshole was doing it to get on his nerves.

"Hahaha…oh," Daniel laughed before going silent all of a sudden, his face going pink.

"Did you just piss yourself?" Levi asked, to which his son quickly shook his head.

"No."

"Tch, if I get up…"

"No!" he said before running off to the bathroom.

* * *

The eating continued and eventually, everyone had finished having their share of the food. Of course the left overs were still there. They were just organised on the table for anyone that still felt peckish.

Mikasa sighed in relief from her seat. Thankfully the picnic had gone well and everyone looked satisfied.

"Hey mom, can we go play now?" Dean asked, already standing with Daniel beside him, the latter of whom was found trying to dry his pants with the hand drier in the bathroom. At least he didn't smell like urine.

Mikasa nodded and the boys were already gone. She suddenly felt the need herself to use the restroom and got up, "excuse me." Was all she said before she stepped away from the table.

Instinctively, Irene and Historia had followed suit, the former holding Marie as they walked alongside Mikasa while the men were questioning 'why women always went to the bathroom in packs'.

After freshening up, the girls stepped out of the restrooms. Mikasa maintained her position in the lead as they walked.

"Those bathrooms are really nice," she heard Historia's voice comment.

"Oh yeah, it's even better than the ones back at the barracks in Fort Maria," Irene's voice responded.

Staying silent as the blondes chatted, Mikasa kept her eyes forward. It wasn't like she didn't like to talk to others. She actually enjoyed several conversations she would have with the other soldiers. It was just that she didn't have anything to say and whenever things were like that she'd stay silent and let those around her speak.

"I said no!" she heard a familiar voice say from around the corner and she immediately silenced the women behind her by raising a hand.

"Mikasa?' she heard Historia call but she stayed silent, slowly walking towards the corner and leaning against it. Peering over it to see what was going on.

She was able to see four familiar people. Douglas, Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie. For some reason, that group hung around together almost all the time except for the times Douglas spent with Junior. All dressed casually and it seemed like they had come out to the park like everyone else. But for some odd reason, she still got a suspicious feeling and decided to listen in.

"But come on," Doug said, his voice sounded like he was pleading, "we can just kick it around for a bit," he finished while throwing and catching a soccer ball in his hands.

"Doug, there's no time for that," Annie responded, appearing irritated by the boy. Perhaps they had been having that discussion for a while, "we have work to do."

"But we've been working for such a long time," he whined, "can't we take a break… Just for a bit."

"Doug, for the last time…" Annie started, "we don't have time for breaks. Why can't you get it through that thick skull of yours, you idiot?"

"But Annie…"

Bertholdt was the one to step in, looking down at Douglas with a soft gaze, "listen Douglas. We understand that you probably want to relax and we can't blame you," he started, "but we don't have time for this right now. We still have a lot to do," he then sighed when he noticed the sullen face the teen wore, "...maybe we can hang out later."

Mikasa cocked her eyebrow, wondering what it was they had to do. Coming to think of it, this group was pretty secretive and often kept to themselves. Well, she still had to listen.

"No, Bertholdt," Annie cut in, glaring at Douglas, "we can't keep babying him like this. He has to know that when it's a no, it's a no. there's no way his eighteen-year-old ass should be whining because he wants to play ball," she spat coldly, "ugh, it's because you guys entertain him that he acts like this. If you always let him get what he wants, he'll never get strong enough."

Mikasa suddenly started to feel bad for Doug. She didn't know why but she just did. Motherly instincts, perhaps. It could also be the fact that the conversation sounded eerily similar to the ones she'd have with Levi.

"Come on, Annie. Cut him some slack," Reiner spoke up, "he's just a kid."

"He's eighteen."

"Yeah, and you know that he never got to enjoy all the eighteen years of his life," he defended, "Annie, feel for him. he just wants to have fun with you. It's not a crime."

"You know what? Fine," she started, her face returning to her normally calm one, "you can do whatever you want. I'm leaving," she said as she started to walk off.

Mikasa watched the whole scene play out in front of her. Annie started to walk off and the guys started to follow her, calling out to her. The short woman quickly turned and pointed at Douglas.

"No, since you want to play around like some kid, you stay here and do just that," Annie started, "we're going to do what we're supposed to do," she continued, keeping her glare on the boy before she briefly locked eyes with Mikasa and then back with Douglas, "you should come back when you start acting like a normal eighteen year old."

With that, the woman left, Bertholdt and Reiner following behind. Mikasa cursed at herself, she had been noticed. Minus-one for stealth.

"Poor Doug," Irene's voice whispered from behind her. She could tell that the blonde was itching to rush over to her boyfriend but she kept herself grounded, as though waiting for orders from Mikasa. She appreciated the discipline she held. She was impressed.

She was about to leave but something kept her there. she looked at Douglas who had remained standing on his own, looking abandoned and distressed. It was an unusual sight to see the normally goofy boy looking so unhappy. Something started to pull on her innards. She felt the need to reach out but she kept on fighting it. A large part of her hated seeing a child look so sad. The feeling kept on growing until it finally overwhelmed her.

Curse her motherly instincts.

* * *

"So, Junior," Erwin asked as the men had remained at the table, away from all females.

"Yes?" Junior asked, wondering what the man had to say to him.

"You're still interested in Irene, right?"

"W-What!" Junior nearly choked when he heard the question. What was with the commander today? did he have one too many drinks?

"You heard him," Levi responded, resting his chin on his fist, "do you still wanna get some from his daughter?"

"I…uh…" Junior started before the man nodded as though he got an answer.

"So that's a yes, right?" Erwin asked, his serious face was on.

Junior decided to nod. Still curious as to why the blonde asked what he did, he asked, "why do you ask?"

"Well you see, you've always been the first young man to come to mind whenever I think about the person that'll take Irene's heart," he explained, casually.

"H-How come?" Junior asked.

"Junior, I can tell that you're a responsible young man," Erwin started, "Like your father here. You're a man of commitment and would be willing to do anything for those you care about," he explained, "All I want for my little girl is someone that will love and protect her unconditionally and I know you're more than capable. You just have to work on your own weaknesses before you realise what you're capable of."

Junior didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not, because he never thought he would see the day Commander Erwin Smith would tell him about how he wanted him with his daughter. Though he did want to be with her, he still had to accept the fact that she was with someone else, "Thank you Commander but... Irene's already with someone else."

"She is?" Erwin asked, eyebrow cocked. He seriously didn't know.

"Yeah," Levi answered from his seat, answering the question.

"Hey but I don't think that matters," Eren spoke up, leaning in, "you're still young and there's a lot of time for you guys to discover what you really like. Plus, even if she's with someone else, one principal I've grown up with is that if you want something, you have to fight. You can either win, or lose and if you don't fight, you can't win."

"Come on Eren," Armin said, "I don't think that applies to this sort of thing," he started, "I think he should just be patient and let her be. If they're meant to be, then she'll come around. If they aren't, there's plenty of fish in the sea."

"I couldn't agree more, Arlert," Levi acknowledged him with a nod.

"Well then…" Erwin seemed to have recovered from his shock, "who is it that she's with?"

"Meyer."

Junior watched as the man's eyes widened. He clearly did not like the sound of that.

"Meyer?" Erwin asked, looking unnerved.

"Yeah," Levi confirmed, "you got a problem with him?"

The Commander shook his head, "no, I have nothing against him. It's just…" he started, "it's…him. Maybe that's why Irene never told me."

"Well too bad, Erwin. Looks like Meyer's going to be your in-law soon," Levi said, mockingly as the blonde man suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose. Levi then turned to Junior, "hey Junior, you should feel proud. Eyebrow over here thinks of you as a better match for his daughter."

"I promise you that you won't be as thrilled as you are right now once Marie turns 14," Erwin threatened.

Junior only felt himself blush. Sure the fact that Erwin was in favour of him was encouraging but that didn't change the fact that Irene was still with Doug.

Speaking of Doug, the girls were returning and he was with them. What on earth...

"Hey everyone," he waved at the crowd at the table, his grin less enthusiastic than usual. Junior also noticed his father casually patting Erwin's back as though to comfort him.

"Hi Douglas," they responded.

Historia was the one to speak, "oh guys, we met Douglas on the way here and offered him to join us. We hope you don't mind?"

Everyone at the table shook their heads, signalling that he was welcome to join them. The boy immediately took notice of the left overs and his stomach let out a loud growl.

"Sorry," he apologized, sheepishly…yes, sheepishly smiling.

"Help yourself, Meyer," Levi decided to offer, "help yourself to everything. You can even eat the fucking table if you want."

"Really, thanks," he said before propping himself at the table and began to stuff his face, completely oblivious to the curious—and annoyed, in Levi's case, stares he received from everyone that was present. He was eating like an animal that hadn't eaten in days and he made a mess of the table.

* * *

A short while later, all the leftovers were completely gone and Douglas proudly patted his stomach after he let out a large belch, "that sure hit the spot."

"You're welcome," Mikasa said, beginning to pack up all the plates and bowls.

"Hey guys, Douglas came with this ball," Eren said, holding the soccer ball in his hands, "why don't we kick it around a little?"

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Levi agreed, having finished wiping the table, "it sure had been a while since I kicked damn ball around."

"I'm okay with that," Erwin said, standing up before looking at the others, "perhaps you would like to join?"

The Armin and the girls all passed while Junior and Douglas had agreed to join them.

"Ouch! What the hell dad!" Junior asked as Levi had just kicked the ball at his face.

"That's for hitting your brother!" Levi responded.

Mikasa watched the game alongside all those that had opted out. the game had been playing out the same way since they had started. They were simply passing the ball to each other and her husband had gotten a kick out of making it his aim to hit the other players with the ball instead of passing it, easily blocking any incoming shots.

"Dad!" Junior yelled again, covering his stomach.

"The Captain's so rough," Irene said, holding Marie on her lap.

"That's why I never play these games," Armin responded, slightly cringing as he saw Eren get knocked over.

"Dammit," Mikasa cursed as the brunette fell to the ground. She was extremely close to running onto the field and giving her husband a taste of his own medicine but decided against it.

"Is this how he always plays?" Historia asked, looking concerned for the other players.

For some reason her husband had become a topic of discussion and it wasn't like she hated it, it just added a bit of unreasonable pressure to her as all the questions were directed at her. She wasn't in the mood to answer questions while Eren and Junior were at risk of getting injured. Oh well, she had to give an answer.

"That's just his way of having fun."

"Hurting other people?" Armin asked, eyebrow curiously raised.

"He just has a habit of annoying people," she explained, "but he…" she started.

"Fuck!"

Everyone went silent as they watched Levi drop to his knees, clutching his…nether regions. Judging by the fact that the ball had landed right in front of him, everyone knew he received a shot to the groin.

"Karma's a bitch huh?" Mikasa muttered to herself, somewhat pleased that someone had gotten revenge on the midget. What was on her mind was who the clever bastard was. He deserved a reward.

She watched as her husband finally regained his composure and glared at Douglas, "Meyer, I swear you're on my shitlist now!" he said before the game resumed.

The game had turned into Levi trying to hit Douglas with the ball over and over again. The boy had gained the ability to dodge nearly every shot at him, laughing his lungs out as the adrenaline had probably fuelled him. At least he was having a blast.

Seeing the smile on his face gave Mikasa a warm feeling in her innards. It felt good to see him so happy and perhaps bringing him along was a good idea. At least his day would end better than it started.

Eventually the game had ended and the guys started to return. Mikasa rose from her position and walked over to where her husband and son walked over together, Levi was probably making fun of him for something judging by the way Junior scoffed.

She then pulled out her phone, "hey guys, I want to take a picture of you." Her request had caught both Levis off guard but immediately, her husband had already gotten into position, his bland face on display together with their son's, "come on, guys. Smile."

Levi looked up at his son, "come on, Junior. Smile for the both of us."

"No, Why should I smile for you" he responded.

"Come on, smile," Levi said, continuously nudging him.

"Hey, even if you're not going to smile, at least hold each other or something," Mikasa said before Levi pulled the hesitant Junior closer to him. they were close but not smiling. She needed a smile, "smile guys."

"For fucks sake, Junior, can you smile already?" Levi asked, looking up at the boy again.

"I'm not… heh…I'm not…hehe," Junior struggled to keep a straight face as his father started to gently pinch the side of his torso, "heh… dad…heh, s-stop."

"I won't stop till you fucking smile," Levi somehow found himself chuckling.

Click! Mikasa took the picture and looked at her phone. The picture showed both Levis standing next to each other, Junior having a very large smile of his face, looking very happy. Beside him, his father also happened to have a smile on his face. It was very small but still, you could tell that he was happy too. Looking at the picture helped her realise how much Junior had grown to look a lot like his father, except with a friendlier face. Wow, he was becoming a man soon and her throat felt a little tight.

"How is it?" she heard Levi ask and she nodded at him, flashing them a smile, "it looks amazing."

The rest of the day progressed, the twins were still kicking the ball around and the group had separated into smaller groups.

* * *

"Wow, your parents look so cute together," Irene pointed out as she, Junior and Douglas looked at the Ackerman couple, who were seated on the picnic blanket to have their alone time. their hands were interlocked while they seemed to be deep in conversation.

Junior looked at his parents. They were enjoying themselves, giving each other gazes he had come to know over time. "Yep, that is definitely the look they give each other every December 25th."

Irene cocked her eyebrow, "Christmas?"

Junior looked back at her, "December 25th isn't just Christmas for us."

"Well, what else could it be, then?" Irene asked, probably wondering what he meant.

"In my family it represents three things," he started before holding out his fingers, "Christmas, my dad's birthday…"

"Aw…" Irene cooed.

"and their wedding anniversary."

"Oh… my God that is so cute!" she cooed, "they got married on his birthday. That must have been the best birthday gift ever. Oh my gosh, I so… want that."

Junior rolled his eyes at her. Yeah, it was pretty cute but he didn't verbalise it like her. To him it was just… normal.

"Wow, that is so… on my goals list now," she said before looking at him, "when's your birthday, Levi?"

"Believe it or not, January 25th," he said, as the girl's eyes widened. He had to admit that making her get so excited by his words felt so good. He had a boost of self-confidence, "why, you wanna marry me?"

"Maybe."

"W-What!" he choked on his words before the girl laughed at him.

"Relax, I'm just curious," Irene chuckled.

Why did she always do this to him?

"Mine's on February 6th," Doug butt in. They had forgotten he was there.

The boy then took in a deep breath before throwing his arms over their shoulders, "Thanks for having me you guys. I had a blast today," he started, clearly not noticing the looks Irene and Junior gave him, "my day started out really badly and I almost cried… I swear. You guys hanging out with me and kicking the ball around really made me happy so really…thanks."

Junior found himself dumbstruck at how sincere Doug sounded. It wasn't something he'd see every day but he'd start to see him differently after hearing him talk like that. When he thought about it, Doug had been his 'friend' for about a year and he barely knew much about him. Sure they shared a bed and, unfortunately, some clothes but his knowledge of him was nearly to a zero. Just who was Douglas Meyer?

Offering a smile of his own, Junior spoke, "you're welcome, Doug. You're welcome."

* * *

"Wow, today's been a great day," Mikasa said, resting her head on her husband's shoulder. The two had decided to seclude themselves on the picnic blanket near a couple of trees. They needed to end their day at the park together.

"Yeah, it has" she heard him respond, the vibrations of his baritone voice send a tingling sensation down her spine. How had she forgotten how hot his voice was? she then sat up straight and her grey eyes met his blue ones that sort of shined brightly under the sunset. Not only his eyes looked good but his entire face too. The lighting was perfect and hit him in all the right ways. Man she was lucky.

"Sing for me Mr. Ackerman."

"Sing?" Levi looked surprised.

"Yes sing," she repeated, "The last time you sang was on our wedding."

"No..." he shook his head, "the last time I sang was when Junior was one."

"Okay, the last time you sang to me was in our wedding."

"So?"

"I want you to sing for me," she answered. Though it was random, she remembered how her husband sang to her on their wedding. His amazing voice and look on his face took her to cloud nine. She wanted to feel that again.

"I'm not going to sing to you."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"Levi..."

"Mikasa..."

Mikasa didn't know why but she suddenly looked away from him and crossed her arms, a frown forming in her face.

She could sense his gaze still in her and she knew he was probably wondering why she was acting the way she did. Well she didn't care, she wanted him to sing.

"Tch, you're such a brat sometimes," she heard him say. She still kept her gaze away, "...fine, I'll sing to you..."

"Really?" She looked back at him.

"Just not today. The last time I sang to you was at a very special time. I don't see why things should be different now," he finished. He then noticed the frown still on her face, "I'll even sing that song you like."

Though it wasn't what she was hoping for, it was better than nothing. She then held out her pinky, raising her brow expectantly.

"Such a brat," he said, locking his pinky with hers.

"Great," she said before noticing as Levi's eyes shifted from hers and travelled over her shoulder and he flinched a little.

"What is it?" she asked, not turning to face where he was facing.

"Dean just tackled some kid," he responded, "why is he so rough?"

"Why are you so rough?" Mikasa asked, forcing the man's eyes back to her. She then noticed as his pupils slightly dilated and he licked his lips, making her face heat up when he leaned in and whispered into her ears.

"Funny, you've never asked me that in bed."

Mikasa slightly gasped after he said those words. Soon she found herself going crazy as he pulled down her scarf and started planting soft kisses from the base of her neck up to her jaw line.

"Whoa, Levi. Easy," she said but didn't pull away. Instead she tipped him over onto his back hovered above him using her hands as support for her upper upper body on each side. She then locked her grey eyes with his want-filled blue ones. She then blushed when she saw him bite his lip.

"Marry me, Mrs. Ackerman."

Mikasa chuckled but kept her loving gaze, "We're already married Mr. Ackerman."

"Well then may I kiss my fucking bride?" his voice came out with some sort of command and Mikasa willingly obliged.

She lowered herself onto her elbows and planted a kiss on his lips, slowly melting into his embrace when his arms wrapped around her.

The moment was perfect. It was just the two of them in the little world they had created. This was what they needed. No titans, no fighting, no arguing, no stress, no anger, just sweet and savoury love.

It was bliss.

Though their make out session was involving, Mikasa had to pull away when she felt his hands travel all the way to her rear. Nope this was not the place to be doing this.

"The fuck did you pull away for?" he growled, visibly annoyed.

"Levi, this isn't the place to be doing this?" she said, trying to bury the regret she felt too. She really didn't want to pull away either.

"What do you mean?"

"Levi, this is done in a bed, in private," she said, as though explaining to a child.

"Last time I checked, the twins weren't made on a bed," he said, throwing her a smirk.

"Ugh, don't be difficult," she said before turning and resting her head on his chest, deciding to watch the sunset together as a more appropriate option.

"I'll say this again, Levi," Mikasa started, "I enjoyed doing this with you. I enjoyed having such a great day with family and friends and ending that day with my husband. Without worrying about the damn titans."

"Me too."

"Oh gosh, I just wish things could stay like this forever," Mikasa said, closing her eyes as though trying to burn this moment into her brain. She knew she was going to go back to fighting again.

She then felt Levi grab onto her hand and give it a tight squeeze, "Well, Mrs. Ackerman. I promise you that all of this fighting will be over soon and we'll have as many of these moments as we want."

Mikasa wiped a stray tear from her eye. Gosh she loved this man. despite all his imperfections, he was more than perfect for her. If there was one thing she would be grateful for, it was the man that whatever mighty forces lie out there had granted her. She could never imagine herself in the arms of another man and she prayed he felt the same.

"Promise me, Mr. Ackerman," she started, "Promise me that you'll never leave me."

She felt him chuckle before speaking.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

**Hey guys. Thanks for sticking with the story so far and I hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter. I'm sorry if the POVs are a little disorienting. I'm still learning. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my little attempt at fluff and Dadwin's dad jokes. Now it's time for the story to progress even further. I'd love to hear what you all think and I guess for now...**

**Peace.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey readers. I'm back with more of HSF for you guys. Thanks so much to all who have followed and favorited this story. I appreciate the support and I am very grateful considering I am learning to hone my writing skills. Anyway, I'd really love to know what you think so far. With that said… Let's get back into the story with another chapter.**

A cold breeze entered the Captain's quarters though the window, accompanied rays of sunlight gliding into the room through the cracks of the drapes. The room was now slightly lit, revealing five sleeping figures. The cold breeze passed over the sleeping half-Asian, forcing her body to react with a slight shiver.

Mikasa was the first to open her eyes. Her grey eyes surveyed the room for a moment before she finally sighed and glanced over to her side where the twins and their sister slept, soundly, under the warmth of the comforter, leaving her with nothing to cover. That was probably why she felt so cold. Still, she couldn't bring herself to complain, seeing her children alright was all the comfort she'd ever need.

Still looking upon her children, realisation dawned upon Mikasa. The kids didn't have a place to stay—an appropriate one to be specific—and in no way was it okay for them to stay at the base. Her thoughts then strayed over to her adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jaeger. Last time she spoke to them, they said they were evacuated to Fort Rose. She would make a call. But not at the moment.

It was just too early.

Deciding that she was officially awake, Mikasa got off the bed and did a light stretch, allowing her muscles to prepare for whatever activities she'd do.

The cool air hit her body once more, forcing her to bring her scarf to her face. Man was it cold. It must have been the approaching winter. She then remembered that the kids hadn't had any warm clothing. Well that meant dedicating some time for shopping… or maybe Levi could do it.

Her thoughts trailed over to where said man sat on the chair at his desk, visibly fast asleep. She always thought he looked peaceful in that state. Even in his sleep he had a small frown but still… he looked peaceful.

Deciding on whether or not to disturb him, Mikasa finally opted to leave him be as she knew waking him up would mean the end of his sleep session for the time being and she didn't want to deprive him of the little sleep he did manage to get.

Feeling the slight pressure build within her, Mikasa took to the bathroom, ensuring that her footsteps would not disturb the sleeping Ackermans.

A few minutes later, Mikasa stepped out of the bathroom and proceeded to her bed. A bit of relaxation wouldn't hurt before she finally got up. With that, she walked back to the bed and took a seat, grabbing the parenting book from the end table and opened it to the page she last read.

_Chapter 5: Spreading their Wings_

Mikasa slowly felt mind immersing itself into the book, taking in the information it gave her. She didn't know if finding the book was by mere coincidence or a sign from the great above but she was grateful regardless.

Buzz…Buzz… her phone vibrated from the end table, snapping her away from the book and towards and towards the screen of the phone to check the caller ID. "Mom…" Mikasa said, as she read the name and immediately answered the phone.

**Mikasa: Hello… Mom.**

**Mom: Mikasa, I'm glad to hear your voice. How are you? How are Levi and my grandchildren?**

Mikasa glanced down beside her, giving Marie's soft hair a gentle stroke.

**Mikasa: We're fine… everyone's fine… how are you and dad?**

**Mom: We're fine. Don't worry. Oh thank goodness. I don't know what I would do if I were to find out any of you was hurt. Say… I heard Fort Maria was broken down.**

**Mikasa: Oh yes, from what I've heard, a large titan kicked a hole in the wall and disappeared right after. Luckily, we left before any titans could enter the fort.**

**Mom: Oh dear. I'm glad you made it. Imagine what would have happened if titans did manage to enter. **

As the woman continued to babble, realisation once more dawned upon Mikasa. This was her opportunity to ask if she could let the children stay with them.

**Mikasa: Mom, I really need to ask a favour.**

**Mom: what is it, dear?**

**Mikasa: I was wondering if you'd let the kids stay with you for a while. You see… the barracks aren't exactly an ideal place for children to run around, especially kids like mine.**

She said the last part while glancing at the twins, both in sleeping positions that looked reminiscent of Karate and believe her, the kicks were just as painful when they were asleep.

**Mom: Of course, Mikasa. I'm surprised you even had to ask. Your children's second home is with us, remember?**

**Mikasa: Thank you so much mom. Is it okay if I drop them off today?**

**Mom: No problem. **

Mikasa sighed in relief. She could always count on her mother.

**Mikasa: what time can I come over.**

**Mom: Actually, Eren and Historia are coming over for the day. You and Levi can bring the kids over and we can catch up on some lost time. I really miss you, you know?**

**Mikasa: I miss you, too. Don't worry, we'll be there as soon as we can. Thank you so much, mom.**

**Mom: You're more than welcome dear. Oh… I can't wait to see you again. Say hi to Levi for me.**

**Mikasa: Will do mom… will do. Bye.**

Mikasa sighed as she put the phone down. At least she knew her kids would be somewhere safe while she dealt with the whole titan mess.

"Carla?" she heard Levi's voice from his position.

She turned and saw him still seated at the desk, except now awake looking back at her with his exhausted eyes, "yes, and she said hi."

Levi only nodded in acknowledgement before asking, "So she agreed to take the kids in?"

Mikasa nodded in response, "she also invited us to spend the day with her and dad. I think we'll have another nice day." Her memories of the previous day hadn't left her yet

"Old man Jaeger's still kicking huh?" Levi asked, slight amusement in his tone. She then watched as he rose from the chair and did a stretch himself, "sorry but I don't think I'll be able to go with you. I have to attend a meeting today."

"A meeting?" Mikasa asked, "didn't Erwin allow us free time?"

"Yeah, he did, but he also requested Hange and I attend a meeting he was having with Commander Pixis," he explained before walking towards the bed and giving the twins a gentle shake.

"What's going on?" Dean asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Go bathe. You're going to Grandma and Grandpa's house today," he answered.

"Mmm… ten more minutes…" Daniel groaned before turning and looking the other way.

"Get up!" Levi barked and the twins immediately got up from the bed and dashed into the bathroom, the sound of running water immediately was heard.

Deciding to continue their conversation, Mikasa spoke up, "With all due respect, isn't it possible for Erwin to attend the meeting without you?"

"Unfortunately, all high ranking soldiers ought to be present," he explained, "and that includes Special Operations Squads. However, attendance isn't as strict for you as it is for me. Leonhart and the rest can cover for you."

Mikasa then sighed.

"…But, I'll try and pass by after the meeting," Levi finished, "I don't think it'll take us the whole day."

Mikasa then offered him an assuring smile, "don't bother yourself. This is something you have to do. My parents won't mind."

"I doubt old man Jaeger wouldn't mind," Levi shook his head, "the man thinks I always avoid him."

"I honestly can't blame him," Mikasa responded, "…considering that you always offer to help out in the kitchen. Like, which guy ever does that?"

"I'm liberal."

"You're afraid."

"I take offense to that, Mikasa," he responded, placing his hand on his chest for visual effect, "I can't believe that you forgot one very important thing…" he stepped closer to her, locking his eyes with hers, "Levi Ackerman isn't afraid of anything."

Before Mikasa could retort, both turned when they heard shouting coming from the bathroom, followed by the sound of water splashing onto the floor.

Mikasa noticed the annoyed scowl that formed on her husband's face. She could tell he was debating on whether or not to go check on them. The better thing was for her to go check before he ends up flipping about the mess they'd probably made.

"I'll handle this."

* * *

"How is it that a ten-year-old still can't dress himself properly?" Levi said, adjusting Dean's outfit, making sure there aren't blemishes or creases on his clothes.

"Dad, I'm eleven," Dean corrected, his face flushing in embarrassment while his brother sniggered from the side lines.

"You sure don't act like it," Levi pointed out before he stood to work on his hair, "Tch. it's like a fucking mop up here. Did you even dry it?"

"I did…" he responded.

Mikasa sighed as she watched Levi work. The boy looked perfectly fine, in her opinion. The only problem was Levi's perfectionism. "Levi, he's fine. We really need to go now. You'll be late for the meeting."

"Alright," he said before stepping away from Dean. She watched as his gaze shifted over to where Junior sat on his bike, eyes glued to his phone.

"Hey Junior, you better talk to your grandparents and not spend the whole time on that shitty laptop of yours."

"...sure."

Levi's gaze then shifted back to Mikasa, "I'll try and come over if there's time."

"Like I said, don't sweat it," she said before reaching out for his cravat and adjusting it, "busy fussing over Dean without even checking yourself," she then pulled away, "I guess we'll maybe see each other later?" she cocked her eyebrow.

"Hmm," he nodded, "maybe." She then noticed as his gaze went beyond her.

As though she sensed it, Mikasa allowed her eyes to follow his and she turned. Only to find a familiar face approaching them.

Familiar Amber eyes and ginger hair on a petite frame. Mikasa immediately remembered her.

"Levi!" she waved while approaching them, sporting a warm smile on her face.

"Petra," Levi responded when she finally arrived. He then motioned at Mikasa, "Mikasa, you remember Petra right."

Mikasa nodded before stretching out her hand to offer a greeting, "good to see you again, Petra." She responded, keeping calm even as the air started to get tense. There was no way she would ever forget Petra. Not after all she had said.

"You too," Petra responded, shaking Mikasa's hand.

The last time she saw Petra was the day before she was sent home because of her pregnancy. Sure they left on good terms but after watching Levi go through the heartbreak she caused him, she somehow found herself developing some sort of grudge against her, hoping to somehow meet up with her and make her feel something even worse than a heartbreak.

"Um, Mikasa is everything alright?"

Mikasa snapped out of her trance. She looked at where their hands had met and realised that they were still locked and her grip had tightened. She immediately released Petra's hand, "Sorry, I just spaced out," she said before bring her scarf over her mouth, "it's cold, isn't it?"

"Well, the winter is approaching," Petra offered her another smile. There was something about her that still set alarms in Mikasa's head.

She glanced over to Levi, who had been staring at her. Clearly he could tell what was going on in her head.

She then noticed Petra look beyond her, "Oh, are those your kids?"

"Yeah," Levi responded before looking at the kids, "guys, say hi to Petra."

"Hi," Marie, Daniel and Junior greeted, the latest still checking her out.

"My name's Dean," the twin greeted, "Hey miss Petra, are you a magician?"

"No, why?" she asked.

"You see, when I look at you. Everyone else disappears," he finally said. The way he wagged his thin eyebrows was comical.

Petra let out a small chuckle, "you're quite the charmer, aren't you?" she started, "just like your father," she said the last part while glancing a Levi.

What was that?

Mikasa noticed her husband shoot her a concerned look. He then looked back at Petra, "Petra, I was just about to leave for today's meeting with Commander Pixis."

"Really?" she asked, "I was headed there, too. All the Special Ops squads have to be present today."

"In that case, we best leave now," he said, shooting Mikasa an assuring look before turning, "come on."

"Of course," Petra started before looking back at everyone, "have a nice day."

Mikasa watched as the two walked away, Petra walking a bit too close to her husband. Dammit, she shouldn't be stressing so much. Petra was just an ex-girlfriend probably still in denial that he had actually moved on. Yeah, that's right, Levi was in love with her now. There's no way he'd betray her. After all, he said he would never dream of leaving her.

She then noticed, Petra place her hands on his arm. Really?

"Mom, are you okay?" she heard Junior's voice from behind her.

"Tsk. Let's go."

* * *

Levi took one last glance over his shoulder and saw that his family had already driven off. He felt a pang of relief flow through him because Mikasa had restrained herself. One of his wife's greatest flaws was her ability to hold a grudge. For he had experienced it first hand when he beat Eren up at a gathering some years back. It wasn't his fault; he was drunk, and Eren got on his last nerve.

Still, it was like the woman had made a vow to never speak to him again and only did so after a month and only after he apologized… to…Eren did she speak to him. The memory made him shudder. He had never imagined himself asking Eren, of all people, for forgiveness. Though… Eren suddenly gained a fear for him, which was a good thing in Levi's mind.

"So how are you liking Fort Rose?" he snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at the shorter woman. She had somehow slipped her hand into his. He didn't know whether to pull away or not so he just left it there, not holding back, but being held. It wasn't like it was of any significance.

Was it?

"I don't mind it," he responded glancing around, observing the nice architecture, "it definitely looks better than Fort Maria."

Levi and Petra finally arrived in at the meeting place. The only unique thing about it were the various murals on the walls along with the rose petal like pattern at the bottom. Otherwise, it was simply a hall with a table in the centre surrounded by a few chairs. Right opposite the table was a small desk that had a stop watch placed on it.

Probably for a minute taker.

"I'll see you later, Levi. I have to go to my squad now," Petra said, finally releasing Levi's hand before walking off to a group of soldiers.

Speaking of squads, he hadn't seen his own. He let his eyes wander until he spotted the people he was looking for.

He then proceeded to walk towards them.

"D-Doug… heh, stop it," Irene giggled as she was currently being tickled by Douglas. Annie, as usual, was in her own world, not even bothering to stop the two.

"Not until I get a kiss," Doug responded, not letting go of her.

"Behave," Levi snapped, forcing the teens apart and into salute. He then walked passed them to where he saw Hange and Erwin seeming to be in some sort of conversation.

"There you are," Hange said, noticing him, "I can't remember the last time I showed up to something before you."

"Family issues," he explained before looking at her head. her hair was forced into her signature messy pony tail. Couldn't she take care of it once? "and I can't remember the last time you combed your hair."

"Touché…" she admitted before speaking, "ah Levi. You won't believe it, but yours truly was promoted to Section Commander."

Levi was surprised—and curious—but his stoic face did not betray him. Instead of questioning the brunette more, he turned back to Erwin, "Hey Erwin, what's this meeting about?" Levi asked the much taller man.

"We're here to discuss the matter involving the breaking of Fort Maria's wall and realize the way forward," Erwin explained.

"So basically a continuation of the last meeting?"

"Precisely."

"Well look who it is?" A familiar voice catches the trio's attention. They all turn and find two familiar faces walking towards them.

"Miche, Nanaba. Good to see you again," Erwin greeted, the pair of blondes that approached them.

"I could say the same, Commander," Nanaba responded, saluting at him.

"Hmm… you all smell the same as when I last saw you," Miche smirked at them all.

"Not that I mind or anything, how are you two here?" Levi asked, somewhat surprised to see his fellow veterans, who were also adorning the Scouts uniform, "…wearing the Survey Corps' uniform?"

"Miche and Nanaba were stationed in Fort Rose to act as representatives for the Survey Corps," Erwin explained, "Nanaba had been here even before the invasion. Miche joined her afterwards."

"So they're like ambassadors?"

"Exactly," the commander confirmed.

Levi then looked at the pair. He couldn't comprehend how he was unaware of such a feat. It didn't make any sense because he was with Miche a few days before the titans showed up and the man had never mentioned anything about the fort. Before Levi could ask, the doors opened.

All Garrisons turned to salute as Commander Pixis walked into the room with a few other Garrison soldiers right behind him.

He came to a stop and one end of the table.

"Commander Pixis," Erwin acknowledged, bringing his fist over his heart in salute and immediately, all the present scouts saluted after him.

"Commander Smith," the bald man imitated his action, his Garrisons doing the same.

The two commanders eased their stances and Pixis was the first to speak, "At ease, soldiers!" he barked, every soldier in the room doing as ordered. He then shifted his gaze towards Erwin and placed his hand on the chair, "you may seat."

Levi followed suit as Erwin sat at the opposite end of the table. He took a seat on the chair on Erwin's right, opposite Hange, who had Nanaba next to her and he had Miche next to him.

The squads had stood at attention behind them. While the minute taker took his potion at the desk.

"The following meeting is about to take place between Commander Dot Pixis of Garrison Regiment, accompanied by Captain Kitz Woermann, Captain Carsten and Squad Leader Rico Brzenska," he started motioning at said people before motioning in the Scouts' direction, "and Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps, accompanied by Section Commander, Hange Zoe, Captain Levi Ackerman and ambassadors Section Commander Miche Zacharius and Nanaba."

"The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the damage of the wall surrounding Fort Maria as well as discuss a way forward," he explained, "the reason for the presence of ordinary soldiers in this meeting is to ensure that there are eye witnesses present." He then looked at Pixis, "The meeting shall commence."

"Commander Smith. We are all aware of the fact that Fort Maria has been compromised but we would like to know the exact details of the event," Pixis began.

"Right before the wall was breached, a large titan was spotted peering over the wall," he explained, "it lingered for a few seconds before the hole was formed and judging by the height, we can only assume that it kicked the hole."

The Garrisons looked astounded, they clearly couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"A… large titan? Peering over the wall?" Pixis raised his brow, "…and are there any witnesses present?"

"Alongside myself is Captain Levi," Erwin responded, "he was with me at the time the giant appeared and kicked the wall."

"Is that so?" Pixis asked before shifting his gaze to the captain, "how large would you say the titan was, Captain Levi?"

"Considering it was able to look over the wall, I'd assume somewhere near 60m tall," Levi answered, remembering what he saw that night. He felt himself get a bit annoyed by the unbelieving looks he was receiving but he held back his scoff, "basically, the bastard was colossal."

"Interesting," Pixis nodded before looking back at Erwin, "what happened after it damaged the wall."

"It disappeared."

"…It disappeared?" Pixis was clearly confused and his soldiers seemed to have found it funny considering they were chuckling.

'The fuck's so funny?' Levi mentally asked himself as he listened to the chuckles. He couldn't tell what irritated him more; the fact that the idiots didn't believe them or the fact that they found it funny. He let his eyes linger to where Erwin sat, still as composed as ever. It was good that Erwin was in that positon or he'd have blown a fuse by now.

"Commander Pixis. May I speak?" Rico raised her hand, to which Pixis nodded. She then looked at the Commander, "so you're saying that a colossal titan just appeared out of nowhere, kicked a hole in the wall and disappeared right after?" She raised her eyebrow, "because if you ask me, it sounds unrealistic." She asked, the soldier right next to her nudging her.

"You think we're lying?" Levi asked, wondering when squad leaders could question Commanders.

"Not my words but… yes, I'd say so," Rico responded. The chick was a little too confident, "I mean, why would something so large just disappear immediately after doing something like that. If you ask me, that story sounds ridiculous."

"Actually, when you consider several factors," Hange started, "it is possible that the titan may have had an objective."

"Titans are mindless," Rico fired back, "how on earth would a mindless beast suddenly have an objective?" she asked.

"I agree with you on the fact that all known titans are naturally mindless. However…" Hange continued, "we cannot forget that they do bare many similarities to man-kind and thus, we cannot rule out the possibility of some of them—possibly undiscovered—possessing intelligence. The Colossal titan is the only titan of its kind from what my research has shown me. What's to say it couldn't have a unique mind of its own?"

"If titans possessed intelligence then they would have found out how to get into the walls by now and killed us all," Rico persisted, "Honestly speaking, your idea is nothing but absurd."

"E-Excuse me?" Hange glared through her glasses.

"You're only saying that because you've been under the protection of these walls for so long," Miche also stepped in, "you may have been trained but you lack experience. You don't have any reason to doubt the words of someone that has actually seen a titan."

"Well then…"

"Rico, enough!" Pixis spoke up.

"But, Commander…"

"I said… enough," he responded, "we came here to have a serious discussion, not to argue." He then looked back at Erwin, "Commander Smith, though I will admit that I am sceptical, I will keep your words on my mind. Now, what is it that you propose we do to move forward?"

"I say we work towards taking back Fort Maria," Erwin suggested.

"Take back Fort Maria?"

"Yes," he nodded, "The fact that they managed to breach our defences means that they're one step closer to defeating us and that makes us a step closer to losing. If we manage to take back Fort Maria, then we'll have managed to prove that humanity does stand a chance against the titans, not only to ourselves but to all those that have lost all hope in reclaiming their old lives."

"I see your point, Commander but…" Pixis started, "how exactly do you intend to take back Fort Maria, considering the fact that there is a giant hole in the wall?"

"That has been put into consideration," Erwin informed before motioning to Hange, "so far, the only solution we have come up with is to try and rebuild the wall or at least cover it up?"

"Rebuild the wall?"

"Exactly," Hange added before continuing to explain.

Levi felt himself grow bored as Hange gave her long explanation. However, he did feel himself growing annoyed by the sound of many people talking among themselves. His first instinct was to turn towards the scouts.

They were all silently standing at attention, actually listening to the discussion. He then shifted his gaze towards the Garrisons, who happened to be in their own conversations, giggling and talking about who knows what. Levi could immediately tell why things were turning out the way they were.

The Garrisons were completely undisciplined.

It was like they weren't in the same room as two Commanders. 'I can't believe these pathetic excuses for soldiers are what the Garrisons have to offer.' he said, mentally.

His eyes then shifted towards the woman that had caused a bit of a spark.

Rico.

He immediately recognised her as the woman Petra was with the previous day. When he observed her, he could tell that the young woman was a very confident and capable soldier. He respected that. It was just her attitude that annoyed him.

He then noticed as her silver eyes shifted to lock with his and the two entered a short staring—glaring—contest before the woman broke eye contact.

She was going to be a problem. He then decided to pay attention to the discussion.

"I understand you plan and I will see to it that we work together," Pixis agreed before leaning back into his seat, "is that all? Because I really need a drink right now."

"One more thing," Erwin responded, Commander Pixis motioning him to speak, "We know that the titans are a deadly adversary and therefore, I request that you give some of your soldiers the opportunity to volunteer to assist the Survey Corps. We will need as many hands as possible on deck if we're planning on going far."

Levi listened as the Garrisons broke into even louder conversation about how they thought it would be cool to fight titans or how crazy it would be to sign up. that was it, Levi had had enough.

"Excuse me, could you all keep quiet?" Irene had beaten Levi to it. Everyone went silent and looked over at her. She then took in a deep breath before speaking, "there are currently two commanders in your presence yet you choose to talk while they have a very important discussion. Where's your sense of respect?"

"Hey, who the hell do you think you are to talk to us like that?" one soldier asked.

Irene hesitates.

"Her name's Irene Smith, and at a young age, she is already the perfect example of what all you adult sons of bitches should be," Levi stepped in, "You all lack discipline and you clearly can't take your jobs seriously. In short, your conduct is lamentable."

The air had stayed silent for a few minutes before Erwin finally stood.

"Okay, I believe we've discussed enough for today, Commander," he said as Pixis also rose.

"I believe so, too," he responded before glancing at the minute taker, "and I believe all following meetings will not have witnesses from now on. You may all go." With that, the Garrisons proceeded to leave.

The minute taker nodded.

"Commander Pixis," Erwin started, walking towards the old man, "I'd like to apologize if my soldiers have offended you. Clearly, things did not go as planned today.

"No, problem, Erwin," Pixis said, offering him a smile, "honestly, your soldiers were right. The Garrison Regiment is heavily flawed and I intend to fix it. I should actually be thanking you."

"Ah, if that's the case then you're welcome."

Levi turned his gaze away from where the two commanders were talking and looked at his wrist.

1PM. There was still time to pass by his in-laws' place.

"Hey, Levi,' Petra's voice called out to him.

He looked at her and saw her approaching while assuring her friends that she was coming.

"Yes?"

"Oh, you see. I'm sure right now you're probably busy, but I was thinking that we really need to catch up on lost time," she started explaining, "so I was thinking we could exchange numbers and we could let each other know whenever the other was free so we could like chat or hang out or something. You know what I mean."

Levi looked down at Petra. Now she wanted to exchange numbers. Maybe he was just looking into things too much. She could just be trying to get rid of her guilty conscious. After all, she knew he was married .There was no way she'd even bother.

"...sure," he responded before they exchanged numbers. And waved each other off.

Levi then grunted when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, "Miche?"

"Levi, since we haven't seen each other in over a year," the man started, "it means we've missed out on a year's worth of drinking together."

"I'm aware."

"So, this Friday, I'm inviting you and Erwin over to The Sky Bar down town. It's the best place to be in this fort. Trust me," he explained, "As a matter of fact, I think I'll invite all the vets for a night of strong booze and reminiscing over good times. Are you going to come?"

Levi looked up at the giant man. It wouldn't hurt to get some alcohol into his system after such a long… time. it seemed fine, "Sure, I'll come and I'll let Eyebrow know."

"Excellent."

"Oh well. See you later Miche," Levi said as he turned.

"Where are you going?" he called after him.

"In-laws."

"Yikes, all the best."

"Thanks." With that, Levi continued to leave.

"Captain Levi."

"Yes..." he groaned, turning around to find Irene. "What do you want?"

"...I-I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For backing me up against the Garrisons, Sir," she explained, "if you didn't say what you said, I don't know what would've happened."

"Tch, those bastards needed to be put in their places. You don't need to thank me for doing the logical thing."

"I see..." Irene began, clearly unsure of the response to give the captain. She then turned, "well then I guess I should get going." She began to retreat.

"However."

Irene stopped and looked back at Levi, "Captain?"

"It was very courageous of you to speak up in such a situation. I'm impressed," he started, "you've got a lot of leadership potential. Be sure to nurture it."

"Thank you, sir," she responded before asking, "well Captain, what do you suggest I do to improve."

"Well for a start, make sure that you don't need anyone to back you up the next time you're faced with a challenge," he offered.

"Your advice will not go in vain, sir," she said, offering him a salute.

"At ease, soldier," he said, allowing her to relax. He the stuffed his hands in his pockets, "can I go, now?"

"O-Oh of course sir," she said before Levi started to walk off.

"C-Captain?"

Oh come on!

"Smith?"

"A-Are you going to be with Junior by any chance?"

"Yes. Why?"

"N-No reason... I was just curious," she responded.

"I'll tell him you said hi."

"Uh... okay thanks."

These kids and their complicated romance was something Levi found surprisingly fascinating. He never knew teenagers could go through so much confusion all because of a simple crush. Ah well, love never ceases to surprise anyone. It did surprise him when it was his time.

Teenage romances aside, Levi had one more thing to deal with for the day.

Dinner with the in-laws.

**Hey guys, thanks for reading this chapter. I appreciate the support ya'll are showing me. And I definitely would love to hear what you all think. What do you think about Petra's introduction? Do you think I did a good job with the meeting? Please don't feel too shy to drop a review. I'd really appreciate it. I guess I'll see you the next time I update.**

**Bye.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey readers. Welcome back to another chapter of HSF. Thanks to all of you that are following this story. I really appreciate it and I hope ya'll stay to the end. Now this chapter is the beginning of a double update. I'm posting two of them because I feel the pacing is a bit slow so I figured I'd give you a bunch of chapters focusing on one aspect of the story and then periodically post the chapters that I feel will flow at the right pace. I really can't wait to hear from you all. Following the advice I received from Toyin Oladimeji(thank you)****, I'm trying to write this whole thoughts in Italics thing. I'm going to try so I'd love to hear what you think. Without further ado…**

The sun was high in the sky, shining on the neighbourhood filled with a line of identical blue houses, each on square yards with bright green grass surrounded by white picket fences.

The Ackermans came to a halt outside one of the houses.

"This looks better than I expected," Mikasa said, glancing around the area. It had certainly outdone itself for a place that was housing refugees.

"Is this Grandma and Grandpa's place?" She heard Marie's voice from behind her. She had ridden with Dean and Marie while Junior had ridden with Daniel.

"Yes it is," She responded before turning off the engine.

Just as the Ackermans got off the bikes, the front door to the house swung open, revealing Carla Jaeger.

"Hi everyone!"

"Grandma!" the children shouted before rushing up to her, enveloping their grandmother in a hug.

"Oh look at you kids. You're all so big now," she said in awe, giving the children's cheeks squeezes. She then looked at her eldest grandson, "look at you, already becoming a man, are we?"

"Yeah, I'm even a soldier now."

"…really. That's impressive," Carla responded, concern evident in her tone before looking at the children, "you all go inside and say hi to everyone."

"Okay," the kids said before darting passed her—the twins and Marie darted passed her. Junior walked.

It was now Mikasa's turn to approach the brunette woman and pull her into a hug.

"Mikasa. It's been far too long," she started, obviously trying her best to squeeze her as much as possible, "I thought I was relieved when I spoke to you on phone but now that I've seen your face, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"Good to see you too, mom," she responded before pulling away. She couldn't help but take in the appearance of the woman who had looked after her from the time she was a little girl.

Back then. When Mikasa was only nine, fresh from witnessing her parents die in front of her, when the Jaegers took her in to live with them, it was Carla. She was the one to make her feel especially at home. Sure, Eren saved her life and gave her her treasured scarf but that was just Eren being Eren. He just did it out of obligation, no feelings involved.

It was Carla—and Dr Jaeger to some extent—who had welcomed her. The woman did her best to ensure Mikasa was happy, taking her out shopping, bonding with her doing chores, encouraging her when she needed it most. Heck, she dedicated much of her time to helping Mikasa out during her first pregnancy. Carla meant a lot to her.

She missed her own mother too, but Carla had still found a large spot in her heart_._

"Well come on in," Carla started, snapping Mikasa out of her thoughts, "everyone's already inside."

"Of course," Mikasa nodded before following her mother inside.

Stepping into the house, Mikasa noticed the way the house was well furnished, somehow still having the same old furniture they possessed at their home in Paradis City. It was rather puzzling.

_I should ask mom about it._

Mikasa and Carla finally arrived in the living room where everyone—minus the twins. They'd already ran off—sat in front of the TV.

"Mommy, look. Grandpa gave me this bracelet," Marie squealed, showing off the accessory from her position on said man's lap.

"You look gorgeous," she smiled at her daughter, whose face flushed. She then shifted her gaze to her father, "Hi dad," she said, walking up to him and allowing him to stand and give her a side hug. She then remembered, "Oh and thanks for letting the kids stay with you."

"Oh there's no problem. I actually enjoy having these little balls of energy around," he responded, the sincerity evident in his tired-looking green eyes covered by round spectacles, "it actually reminds us of when you and Eren were still little. It makes me feel a lot younger than I am now."

It was true. Her father had aged a bit over time. His long brown hair had started to grey and his face had developed more wrinkles. Despite this, the man was still more than dedicated to his work and refused to retire. Of course, Much to Carla's displeasure.

"I don't remember being a hyperactive child," Mikasa pointed out, remembering her childhood clearly. And she wasn't the hyper active type.

"That's true, Grisha," Carla added, "she was an independent little girl, more than capable of looking after herself, the house and babysitting Eren and Armin at the same time." she said the last part, pinching Eren's cheek.

"Hey, she never used to babysit us," Eren grumbled in annoyance from his position on the couch, next to Armin, "besides, you didn't even let Mikasa greet us."

"Oh, how could we prevent the Shiganshina Trio from having a proper reunion?' Grisha asked before Mikasa walked over to her best friends and plopped herself in between the them.

"Hey Eren," she ruffled his messy brown hair before turning to Armin, "hey Armin. I didn't know you would be joining us."

"How could he not join us?" Carla started, "he's been a part of this family for a very long time, too."

That was true. Armin's family had known the Jaegers from even before Mikasa joined them so it was actually expected that he was there.

"Why are they called the Shiganshina trio?" Marie asked, failing to pronounce Shiganshina and trio properly, much to everyone's amusement.

"When your mother and uncles were younger, they would do everything together," Grisha started, Marie giving him all her attention, "they would be all over the neighbourhood, getting into all sorts of trouble."

"Wait… mommy was a troublemaker?" Marie asked, glancing at her mother.

Mikasa gulped. Sure she didn't necessarily get into trouble, but she was always the one to get Eren and Armin out of it, ending up getting in trouble herself because she'd often have to beat up a boy or too to save them. But still… she was supposed to be a role model for her little girl and she didn't want to hear stories about Marie beating up half the school football team because they refused to let her crush on the team. Wait…

_Why did she even think of that? _

While Grisha continued to narrate the tale of the Shiganshina Trio, Mikasa allowed her eyes to fall onto the television where a man, dressed in a priest's robe spoke.

"Now I urge all of you. These forts are the very foundation of our future as Children of Eldia," he explained, clearly to a large crowd in what appeared to be a chapel, "these forts were built because the mighty one's messengers told man to build. To build so that they would be safe from the impending doom after the wicked flock of humanity. Do not worry about the fallen Fort Maria, for it was destined to fall. The mighty one favours those of us in the other forts."

"Is this a new religion?" Mikasa asked, surprised by the man on the screen. For as long as she'd lived, she'd never known of a religion that involved praising the forts.

"Apparently it is," Armin responded, eyes equally focused on the screen, "it's called Eldianism and the followers are called Children of Eldia. Considering that they now have their own religion, these forts could basically be nations of their own at this rate."

The screen then changed one with a newscaster seated at a desk. On her left was a large screen depicting someone that appeared to be…

_Jean?_

"Welcome to The Daily Petal," the woman started, "I'm Samantha Torres and I'm bringing you news of a commotion that occurred at the Garrison central station."

"Hey look, Horse-face's on TV," Eren chuckled.

The small screen was enlarged and a video began to play.

"What do you mean, you'll search tomorrow?" a stressed out looking Jean shouted at a Garrison guard onscreen, Marco trying to hold him back, "My son's missing!"

_Pierre was missing?_

"I'm sorry sir but there's nothing we can do today. Most of our soldiers are off duty," the Garrison responded from behind his desk.

"I don't care if they're off duty!" Jean yelled back, "Tell them to get to work and find my son!"

"Relax sir, it's not like we're the ones that lost him."

With a swift motion, Jean had lunged at the man onscreen and briefly after, the screen turned back to the reporter.

"Aw, what? Right when it was getting to the good part," Eren whined, earning him glares from everyone in the room, "jeez."

"Three-year-old Pierre Kirschtein has been reported missing," the reporter explained while a picture of Pierre was shown onscreen, "apparently he was with his father at Rose Park when he suddenly disappeared while playing with other children," she added, "therefore, the Garrison Regiment is asking you, the viewers, to call this number as soon as you identify the young boy or have any clues as to where he could be. Please, help reunite this child with his sad, sad father."

Mikasa couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for she knew how she would've felt if any of her kids had disappeared. Sure Jean could be a pain often times, but no parent needed to go through that kind of pain. The guilt would be unbearable.

_Perhaps she would keep an eye out—no, she'd definitely keep an eye out._

"Mommy, Pierre's on TV!" Marie shouted, probably excited to see her friend.

"I can see that sweetie but don't shout," she scolded.

"Sorry…"

Suddenly the TV screen switched from the news to the Sports' Channel, depicting football players running about onscreen, "well that's enough news. Time for some sports," Eren said, getting comfortable in his seat.

Knowing how noisy the boys would get during sports, Mikasa turned to look at her mother, "mom, do you need help in the kitchen?"

Carla then gained a look of realisation, "ah yes. I forgot I was preparing lunch when you got here. I can't believe I left poor Historia alone in the kitchen," she said before turning, "well come on Mikasa."

Mikasa rose to follow her mother.

"Mikasa," she heard her father's voice.

She knew exactly what he was going to ask.

"He's at a meeting. He says he'll pass by if he has time."

"Ah… I see."

"Mhm," she nodded before following her mother into the kitchen.

"Hey Mikasa," Historia greeted as Mikasa entered, from her position at the stove.

"Hello," Mikasa greeted, offering her a brief nod before glancing back at her mother.

"I was just about to marinate the chicken," Carla started, "you could do that while I warm up the oven."

"Of course," Mikasa nodded before walking up to the sink, rolling up her sleeves and giving her hands a good scrubbing. She then turned and walked towards the counter where a transparent basin sat, filled with chicken pieces. Around in were an assortment of seasonings, all ready to be used by masterful hands.

But before she could attack the chicken, she grabbed a chopping board and began to chop up several ingredients, starting with Garlic.

Like a machine, she chopped up the ingredients with precision before placing them in the blender to mince them up.

Shortly after, she took out her mixture and immediately took to massaging the mixture into the flesh.

Even as she did this, she hadn't noticed the amused stares the Carla and Historia gave her, the former already knowing how Mikasa went on autopilot whenever in the kitchen.

After she was done, she grabbed the basin and rushed to place it into the fridge.

Mikasa allowed her eyes to survey the kitchen, searching for what could be a potential task and her eyes landed on a spot where a variety of vegetables rested, "salad?"

"Yes," she heard Carla's voice, prompting her to walk over to vegetables and begin to work.

"Um, Carla," Historia started, "the stew's ready."

"Is it?" Carla asked before walking up next to the blonde and looking over her shoulder, "ah, it's been overcooked and it doesn't look like it's supposed to. Oh my goodness, I can't believe how big these pieces are. How didn't I see that?" Mikasa heard her criticise, "If this is how you cook at your in-laws' house, then I'm afraid to know what you feed my son."

Ah yes, the stereotypical mother-in-law vs daughter-in-law situation. Mikasa sort of felt sorry for the tiny blonde. When Carla meant to be a pain, she could be a serious one and now she was taking it out on poor Historia.

Now that was something she had actually expected of Carla. Living with her, Mikasa had learnt that the woman was very particular when it came to her family, especially Eren. The woman would baby him all the time and try to make sure he stayed out of trouble. She never shied away when it came to cleaning his messes up and scolding him when he misbehaved, be it in public or not. Heck, she'd even told Mikasa to keep watch over Eren whenever they left home.

_Maybe that's why Mikasa was so protective of her children._

"But you said they were fine when I finished cutting them up," she heard Historia counter.

"Questioning your mother-in-law in her own home?"

"Of course not. Sorry," she heard Historia sigh.

She knew Carla had a hard time watching her baby boy get married to a blonde stranger. The woman literally bawled her eyes out once they were pronounced husband and wife and especially when he was moving out.

And on neither occasion were they tears of joy.

When Mikasa thought of it, she hadn't been graced with the opportunity to have that sort of experience of her own, battling out with Levi's mother in the kitchen while the both of them strove for his affection—well her mother-in-law would have striven for his affection. Mikasa was just too competitive at times—but alas, Levi had lost his mother at a young age much like herself.

Remembering all the times he'd keep her up at night, telling her all about his mother, Mikasa came to one conclusion about her stoic husband.

_He was a mamma's boy. _

"This reminds me, Historia," Carla asked, "when am I expecting grandchildren from you and Eren."

"O-Oh, you see. I'm not ready," Historia responded.

"You've been saying that for five years, Historia," Carla responded.

"Understand her mom," Mikasa decided to step in, "She and Eren have only been married for a short time so they may not be ready to add kids yet."

"You were pregnant even before you were married."

"Mom, you knew very well the circumstances of my pregnancy," Mikasa reminded Carla before sighing, "besides, Eren and Historia are soldiers now. They don't have the time to risk bringing a child into this situation." She offered a nod when she noticed Historia mouth her a 'thank you'.

"Alright. Alright I understand you," Carla brushed her off before she changed to topic, "how are things with you and Levi? Last time we spoke you said you were fighting."

Mikasa let out another sigh as she thought about the past year's issues. Ever since the titans showed up, she and Levi had had altercations here and there, especially over their kids. She understood that he cared for them as much as she did but…

_He acted carelessly at times._

Still, she had decided to trust in him and let him do things his way_._

_Perhaps she was just being too overbearing for her own good._

"Mikasa?" Carla's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"O-Oh, right," she spoke, "well… Levi and I have been trying. Of course we've still had our fair share of altercations here and there."

"He better not be hitting you," Carla said, raising her eyebrow.

Mikasa snorted as she shook her head, "mom, Levi would never hit me—unless we were sparring."

"I don't know. That man still gives me an uncomfortable feeling till date," Carla expressed, "he's just too brash at times, he never smiles, he's aggressive with my grandkids, he has a potty mouth…"

Mikasa listened as her mother babbled on. She knew that Carla had never been comfortable with Levi from the time he and Erwin had shown up at their house to tell her that he'd decided to be there for Junior. The whole time, Carla had discouraged Mikasa from being involved with him and almost begged her not to marry him all because she felt uncomfortable around him. Still, Mikasa managed to look beyond what everyone else saw and ended up loving him even more. It was funny. She expected this sort of thing between him and Grisha, but the old man had zero issues with Levi.

_Unless when it came to sports. Ugh… men._

"Mom, Levi's a wonderful person that you still refuse to learn to understand. Give him a chance," Mikasa defended her partner, "And oh. There's no way I'd just sit back and watch Levi hit me without putting up a fight. You know that."

"Alright. Whatever you say," Carla surrendered, "but just so you know, you can come home to me in case of anything alright." She offered a smile.

Mikasa returned it, "Of course. Where else could I go?"

"Alright ladies. Enough chit chat," Carla clapped her hands, "we're behind time and we need to ensure that everything's set soon. Come on now, hop to it," she finished before he younger women quickly got back to work.

* * *

The women had finally finished the lunch preparations and had just set two tables, one for the children and one for the adults.

"And that looks about done," Mikasa said as she rested her hands on her hips, admiring her handy-work on the nicely decorated table.

"Great job, Mikasa," Carla praised as she looked at the table.

"Thanks," she said before her mother turned went into the living room.

"Lunch's ready," she heard her say before everyone started to pour into the dining room. Marie had already taken her seat at the children's table.

"Why won't you let me sit here?" Junior asked as Mikasa blocked him from taking a seat at the table.

"Sorry Junior but we're saving this spot for your father in case he shows up," Mikasa explained before motioning towards the children's table, "you'll have to sit with your siblings."

"But mom, we don't know if he's showing up," Junior defended, "besides, even if he does come, he'd be a better fit for that table than me, don't you think?"

"Very funny Junior," Mikasa shook her head, "but you'll still have to make do with sitting with your siblings."

"But mom…" he started before pointing at the living room, "how about I eat in the living room?"

"Junior, that'd be rude of you. We're supposed to eat together."

"But mom…"

"Junior…" she glared, forcing her son to retreat to the small, blue, plastic table.

Mikasa then took a seat at the table along with everyone else. Looking at the food suddenly made her stomach rumble.

_Everything looked so good._

"Alright. I don't know about all of you but I'm starving," Eren groaned, "can we eat, already."

"The twins aren't here," Carla pointed out and for sure the table that was to occupy four, only had two.

As if on cue, two shouting voices could be heard alongside the thumping of shoes.

"Hey mom, we're hu…" Dean started but stopped when he saw the glare he was given.

"Dean, why did you…" Daniel asked as he came to a stop behind him, equally noticing Mikasa's glare.

"Sit down," Mikasa ordered, the boys immediately complying and rushing over to the table.

"Okay let's eat!" Eren said, grabbing the cutlery.

"Wait."

"Ugh…" Eren groaned.

"What is it, Carla?" Grisha asked from across the table.

"I just want to say that it's great to have you all here," she started, "it's been a while since we got together like this and I must say that it brings me joy to be able to be able to spend time with you all like this. We should definitely do this again soon."

Everyone on the table made sounds of agreement with the woman's suggestion.

"Okay. Now let's eat," Eren started, reaching out to dish himself chicken.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Eren wait," Carla stopped him, much to his chagrin.

"Ugh…" he groaned.

"Eren, can you act like an adult and be patient," Grisha snapped, warning evident in his tone, "it's just food."

Mikasa couldn't help but chuckle along with Armin as Eren huffed and crossed his arms like a child. Seeing him so flustered was just rich.

"Well, is anyone going to open the door?" Grisha asked.

"I'll get it," Carla offered, rising from her seat. She then left the dining room to attend to the door.

Mikasa immediately knew who it was the moment she heard the baritone respond to Carla's greeting. She felt good knowing her entire family would be here to spend time with each other. She then smiled as the feeling she had the previous day flowed through her.

_Today is going to be a great day._

Mikasa was confident that because everything seemed to be fine—minus the Petra incident, but still—everything was okay.

"Hey everyone, look who's here," Carla said, trying her best to sound as enthusiastic as possible.

"Hey dad!" youngest three greeted.

"Hi, kids," he greeted his children before looking at the table, locking eyes with the Jaeger patriarch, "Grisha."

"Levi," he nodded.

"Good afternoon, everyone," he greeted everyone.

Mikasa couldn't help but feel amused. That was Levi at his politest. He sometimes tended to act this way whenever he visited. She couldn't wait to hear him try to spend a day without cursing.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to attend a meeting," Levi explained, trying his best to look as sincere as possible.

"It's fine," Carla responded, "you're actually right on time so please… sit."

"Of course… thank you."

Mikasa kept her eyes on him the whole time as he walked and took the empty seat next to her. He gave her a gentle squeeze on her shoulder as he took his seat.

"Hey."

"Hey," she responded before they both looked back at the table.

"Well since everyone's here, now…" Carla started, "we can start eating."

Everyone quickly got to dishing themselves food and soon the ambience of the room changed from the clinging of plates and cutlery to the sound of continuous chatter ranging from small talk to meaningful conversations.

"So Armin," Carla started, "when are you going to bring a beautiful young woman to have dinner with us?"

Armin's face flushed before offering a sheepish smile, "In all honesty, I haven't found anyone yet. There just hasn't been much time, considering all this military work."

"Oh come on, Armin. Before the titans came, you said there wasn't much time because of police work," Carla said, "Even now, you still have an excuse."

"Well that's just how things are," Armin smiled, "I'm too work-minded to actually remember that I have a sex drive sometimes."

"Surely there's someone that caught your attention at the very least," Carla persisted.

Mikasa chuckled as she watched Carla try to pry into Armin's love life. The poor man was being smothered with questions. Armin was being honest. Romance had been the least of his concerns for as long as they'd known each other. Armin preferred to bury his head in mountains of books to spending time gawking at girls with Eren.

_Heck, he didn't even show up to their high school prom because of college prep._

"Um no, there haven't been any…" Armin started but was cut off.

"Don't listen to him," Eren burst out, "he's been eyeing this other soldier Annie, for months now."

"Really?" Carla asked, in amusement.

"No…I…Y-Yes," Armin sighed in defeat.

"Oh that's lovely. You have got to tell me about her," Carla continued, "oh my goodness. I'm going to have more grandkids soon."

"Calm down, Carla," Grisha said from his spot, taking a sip of wine from his glass. "don't smother him."

"You just don't understand how much I love my grandchildren. The only one that was nice enough to not keep me waiting so long was Mikasa," Carla spoke, glancing at her daughter.

"Oh come on mom," Eren added, "we'll have little ones of our own running about soon. Just you wait." He then looked down at his wife, "Right, Historia?"

Mikasa shifted her gaze between both Eren and Historia, the former looking enthusiastic while the latter looking uneasy. It looked like the topic of children wasn't out of the question yet for poor Historia. The pressure must've been a little too much for her. Ah well, she knew what she was getting into when she got married so the topic of children shouldn't come as a surprise.

She did understand her though. Historia preferred to do things when she felt the time was right but Eren tended to be impatient.

She let her eyes wander beside her, where Levi had been quiet the whole time, enjoying his meal while minding his own business.

"It's rude to stare, you know?" he said in a voice low enough for only her to hear.

"That's rich, coming from you," she replied, equally quiet.

"is it?"

"Levi," Grisha started, snapping both Ackermans in his direction, "you've been awfully quiet. Surely you couldn't be at a loss of words when surrounded by family. Come on now, bring something to the table."

Mikasa sensed that Levi had slightly tensed up. She knew, very well that Levi wasn't the best conversationalist especially in these sort of gatherings. Often times he'd keep to himself and only speak when spoken to.

_Well, this was one of those times._

Levi dabbed his mouth with the napkin before clearing his throat, "You know I'm not a very frequent speaker, Grisha."

"But not too infrequent to at least participate in conversation, correct?" Grisha continued.

"…actually, I do have something to say," Levi started, shooting Mikasa a glance before looking back at Grisha, "thanks for agreeing to look after the kids for the time being."

"Ah well that's no problem, Levi," Grisha nodded, "the little ones are always welcome to live with us. I'm sure the two of you are excited to have some time to yourselves, considering the kids will be with us now."

Now that it had been mentioned, Mikasa came to realise that she and her husband hadn't been…intimate for a while now—minus the previous day's kiss but still…

_They hadn't done more than just kiss in a while._

"Well, it's actually not so exciting seeing, Marie won't be able to sleep with us any more," Levi responds, "I, for one, enjoy her company."

He glanced at his daughter when he said the last part and the little girl beamed back at him.

Getting an idea, Mikasa slowly reached downward and placed her palm on his thigh.

_Time for some fun._

Mikasa couldn't help but smirk when she noticed him shoot her a look clearly saying.

_'The hell are you doing_?'

"Is everything okay, Levi?" Grisha asked, visibly curious about the man's sudden shift.

Her smirk growing bigger, Mikasa watched as Levi hesitantly shifted his gaze back to the doctor.

"I'm fine, Grisha," he responded, his voice not betraying anything, "you were saying…"

As everyone in the table broke into conversation, Mikasa continued to get up to more mischief and decided to gently move her hand along his thigh, keeping her eyes above the table the entire time. she chuckled when she heard his breath hitch while Carla was the one speaking. Though if there was one thing both she and her husband were capable of doing…

_It was keeping a straight face._

When Mikasa felt she had done enough teasing, she retracted her hand.

"the hell are you stopping for?" Levi whispered to her.

_Oh, so he didn't want her to stop eh. Fine, she was going to give him exactly what he wanted._

Without hesitation, Mikasa's hand shot back down, making sure to grab his…

"Shit."

_So much for no cursing._

Everyone on the table shot looks in their direction.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, regaining his plain composure as though he hadn't just been groped.

_For a man, Levi sure had it under control._

Fortunately, everyone decided to just continue on with their conversation and Mikasa felt rather satisfied in herself and exhaled calmly before deciding to finish her food.

Shooting her husband a smirk, Mikasa finally decided to ask what she had been wondering, "Um dad, how is it that you still have all your old furniture?"

Carla was the one that decided to answer, "your father somehow knew something was going to go wrong and started to make us move a week before the titans first showed up," she started, "I was honestly confused when he brought me to the fort and said we were going to be living in this house."

"I see…" she said, looking at her father, who was calmly finishing up his meal. It wasn't really surprising to hear this sort of news because Grisha had always been a man who got things done in ways no one ever understood.

"Well, I think this lunch has been rather delicious don't you think?" Grisha asked, everyone nodding in agreement, "thank you for the amazing food ladies."

"You're welcome," they all responded in unison before Carla got up.

"Okay, you boys should relax in the living room while we clear everything up and start working on dinner," Carla said and everyone had started to leave, the kids already darting out of the room.

Mikasa rose from her seat to begin collecting the dishes. Right when she was about to pick out the last plate, she felt a hand grip her shoulder.

She turned and came face to face with Levi's piercing blue eyes that were centered on her grey ones. There was something about the way he looked at her though. It was akin to the way a predator would look at its prey when it longed for a meal. Except instead of a look of animalistic hunger, Levi's eyes gave her a look that was more...

_Carnal._

"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook so easily," his voice rasped. He then cupped her chin with his hand and brought her face a bit lower to the point where she could feel his hot breath right against her ear. He then spoke again, "After I'm done with you, you won't even be able to walk straight."

Even though Levi was terrible dirty talk, Mikasa still felt shivers go down her spine. There was just something about his voice that always managed to disarm her. Sometimes it would annoy her and other times it would just excite her, especially the way he sounded right then.

_He sounded sexy._

"I can't wait," Mikasa responded, connecting their lips for a brief moment before separating.

"Carla," Levi started, "is there anything I can help with in the kitchen?"

"Hmm... actually, I was about to start working on roast," Carla responded from the kitchen.

"Roast's my specialty," Levi started to walk but Mikasa place her hands in his head, stopping him with a low grunt.

_Nope. He was going to sit with Grisha whether he liked it or not. _

"Oh no you don't" Mikasa shot him a glare, which he equally returned, and then shouted, "don't worry mom. I'll handle this. Levi's tired from the meeting and he needs to... relax." She put emphasis on the last part.

The two of them entered a brief staring—glaring—contest, neither of them backing down.

A full minute had elapsed and it was Carla's calling that snapped them out of it.

"Tch, fine," Levi scoffed before swatting away her hand and turning to walk off.

"Good boy."

"Fuck you."

"Asshole."

"So what's for dinner?" Mikasa asked as she joined the other women in the kitchen, wondering what their next task would be.

"Since you volunteered, you're going to have to work on the roast," Carla explained while chopping up some carrots.

"Okay," she nodded before doing the routine hand washing and got to work.

"You know, Mikasa," Carla started, "I've always wondered why you let Levi do most of the housework at home like cooking and the like."

If there was a topic that never failed to annoy the half-Asian, it was her and Levi's way of running their home. Those conversations often ended up being very offensive.

"Mom, that's just how Levi and I agreed to do things," Mikasa explained, "he chose to look after the house and I chose to get a job to add onto the money we'd receive from the tenants at the apartment building."

"But don't you find it strange?" She asked, "I mean seeing him cleaning and having him cook for you all. there was even that time I found him in an apron when I visited. I was spooked."

"I don't think it's strange," Historia added, "I think it's actually very sweet to see a man lower his pride and decide to take part in house keeping." She then sighed, "I actually admire you. If only Eren would be more willing to help out once in a while. It's so hard to even get him to do the dishes."

"Failing to look after my son, are you?"

"N-No ma'am."

"Thank you Historia," Mikasa acknowledged before looking at her mother, "and for the record, Levi isn't lowering his pride at all. As a matter of fact, he takes great pride in his work. Even though he's heard all sorts of crap from so many people, he doesn't care. As long as his family is happy, he is."

Mikasa sighed, smiling as memories played through her mind, "I even remember the times I'd teach him to cook. At first he just took it lightly and just did it for the sake of doing it but once Junior was born, he made it his goal to make sure to cook as much as his little boy wanted him to. Trust me, he oved it whenever Junior would tell him his food was delicious."

"Aw... that's so sweet," Historia smiled.

"Perhaps I've been wrong about him this entire time," Carla said, "I just remembered how hard the two of you worked to look after Junior. Like the time the boy got sick and you didn't have the funding to help him get the treatment. I remember you told me that he used his rent money to pay for him. I nearly forgot about that."

"Wait. Carla, if Grisha is a Doctor," Historia asked, "why didn't he help them out?"

"He did. he actually did help out as much as he could," Carla explained, "but the only way was to obtain the medicine, which was very expensive."

"What was Junior suffering from?" Historia asked.

"The Doctors said it was some advanced form of malaria that he contracted from our trip to Ragako Islands," Mikasa said, recalling the memory very clearly in her head, "those were some scary times."

"But you kept it together, didn't you?"

"Hah, barely," the half-Asian sighed, "whenever we'd see him in a hospital bed, I'd always break down and I knew Levi only stayed strong because he needed to be there to comfort me." she then smiled, "I'm just glad Junior made it out alive and is big and strong today."

_Scratch the strong part._

"Ouch!" Dean shouted from outside.

"Dean?" Mikasa's eyes widened. she felt her pulse quicken, not because it was a playful yell but because it was a shout of pain.

In an instant, Mikasa darted out of the kitchen.

* * *

"Fuck you."

"Asshole," he heard her mutter before smirking to himself, having felt pleased with their little exchange. Sure he wasn't up to the fact that he'd be spending time with the likes of Eren but he wouldn't complain.

_He was getting laid tonight after all._

He stepped into the living room and found all the guys seated with their eyes glued to the screen, focusing on the teams playing on the screen. Neither of them looked familiar to him at all.

"You're free to sit, you know?" Grisha called out to him.

Levi's decided to walk towards everyone and took a seat next to Junior, whose face was buried in his laptop screen, on the two-seater, crossing his legs as he sat down. He decided to glance over at the laptop screen and saw that Junior was playing one of those shooting games. "what is that? Fortnite?"

"No, it's Call of Duty," Junior responded, not turning his gaze away from the screen.

Feeling the unnatural need to bother his son, Levi reached over and slammed the escape button.

"No, no, no," Junior shook his head as he looked a the screen before looking back at his father, "you can't just do that!"

"Says who?"

"...Says me," his son hesitated.

"Alright, Levi, what're you gonna do about it?"

Levi watched as the boy strugged to come up with an answer, only to give up and restart the game. Levi smirked to himself before throwing his arm of Junior's shoulder, "come on Junior, can't you take a joke?"

Junior ignored him.

Rolling his eyes, Levi shifted his attention to the game being played, "are these new teams?"

"Yes. these are teams currently based within Fort Rose," Grisha explained, keeping his eyes focused on the screen, "don't worry, Levi. I'm not going to make fun of your poor choice in teams.

_Please, I'm not the one whose team kept losing for three fucking seasons. Tch, pathetic Founders fans. The Underground's is where its at. Too bad my own son's a fucking traitor._

"Is that so?" Levi asked, holding back his comment and keeping his eyes on the screen for a few minutes before deciding to let his eyes wander around the room, scrutinizing it.

The first thing his eyes landed on were Eren's feet resting on the table. He was able to notice all the smudges and dirt particles that started to cover the spot where his feet rested.

He inwardly cringed, reminding himself that he couldn't make Eren clean up and go for laps at his father's house.

_He just had to make do with keeping his mouth shut._

As though he sensed Levi's glare on him, Eren slowly removed his feet from the table, nervously glancing at Levi at the same time.

_He's smarter than he comes across as._

Finally feeling comfortable, Levi managed to relax onto the chair and finally start paying attention to the game.

"What a bunch of ametuers," Eren commented as one of the teams seemed to be playing poorly, "I could beat all of them in my sleep."

"Oh come on Eren," Armin responded, "you can clearly see that the players on that team are teenage boys. Obviously, they'd have difficulty playing against fully grown men."

"No way, Uncle Armin. I don't think that's an excuse," Junior responded looking up from his laptop, "I could dribble circles around my dad by the time I was fourteen so basically... uncle Eren's right. they're ametuers."

Though Levi felt the need to retort, he stayed silent.

"Hah. for once, Junior agrees with me," Eren said, proudly, "you know what, this reminds of that match with the Underground Strikers and The Shiganshina Founders. we totally beat those losers to the ground."

_Three fucking seasons, Jaeger. That was three fucking seasons ago!_

"Oh, yeah. 10-3 was the best win yet."

_watch it Ackerman._

_"_I hope you guys haven't forgotten who's been winning the past three season?" Armin asked, sporting a smirk.

_Thank you Arlert._

"Oh shut up traitor!" Eren barked, "the only reason's because our coach's been a total shithead lately. Right Junior?"

Levi glanced at his son.

_Fucking Traitor._

"But when you come to think of it," Grisha started, halting the brewing conflict, "aren't teams of teenagers expected to be amateurs?"

_He had a point._

Suddenly, the sound of small footsteps could be heard coming from the next room and Levi immediately identified them.

Marie sprinted into the room and right onto her father's lap, burying her face into his chest.

"Marie, what's going on?" he asked, only to notice her quietly whimpering and concern immediately grew within him.

_Why was she crying?_

He reached downwards and tilted Marie's face to look at him, "hey, Kiddo. why are you crying?"

"I-I wanted to play with the twins and they said no, so I started crying and they told me that only brats cry so I came here to you."

"And you're crying?"

"Yes."

"So you're a brat?"

"...no?"

Levi sighed. if there was one thing he didn't want his kids to grow up into, it was crybabies. So he made sure to toughen each of them up, the best way he could. With Junior, he regularly makes sure to bully-yes bully-him. With Dean he'd purposefully be hard on him at times. However, that may have had a negative impact on him since he had become a bit of a rebel. With Marie, he'd slowly started to give her a bit of the tough love treatment. Meaning no comforting her when she cried for no good reason. As for Daniel...

_He was a work in progress. Damn mamma's boy was a softie._

"What did I say about crying for no good reason?"

"...That only brats do that," she lowered her head.

"Good. so I don't want to see you crying like a little brat ever again, alright?"

"Okay daddy."

"Great, now let me wipe your face," he said before pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and beginning to wipe his daughter's face, making sure to clear out all the moisture.

"Thank you daddy," she smiled at him.

Levi returned it, "you're welcome," he responded before allowing her to settle onto his lap, leaning against his chest and beginning to doze off.

"Man, I really can't wait to have that," Eren said, clearly admiring what he saw, "I mean like having a bunch of kids running all over the house, getting into all sorts of crazy shit and then when they make you angry, they easily melt your heart with their cute little faces."

"Well then, what's stopping you?" Grisha asked his son.

"Ugh, the thing is, Historia says we're not yet ready for kids," Eren complained, "she's always saying stuff about how I need to mature first. I mean... I'm a freaking adult. What other maturity could she be talking about."

"First of all Eren. You need to understand that she's the one that'll be carrying the children so you better respect her," Grisha said, looking back at his son.

"I agree," Armin added, "and to support Historia, I think she's talking about how spontaneous you are at times. You act without thinking and lose your temper so much it's worrying, not to mention that you're impatient. Knowing you, you might end up making her have an early child birth just so you could see your kid."

"Raising kids is no walk in the park. you gotta be patient with them and be willing to teach them as much as you can," Levi added, "trust me, as a father of four, I've worked my ass off making sure these kids grow up right. Unfortunately I don't know where I went wrong with the first one."

"Hey!"

"Tch, relax. don't be such a whiny bitch," Levi glared at his son, before looking back down at Marie, giving her sleeping form an affectionate gaze, "you don't have to worry about not loving them enough because once you hold them for the first time, loving them is the only thing you can do. no matter how much they annoy you."

"That's actually very encouraging," Eren sighed, probably satisfied with the advice he had been given.

Soon the ambience of chatter was replaced with the sound of the TV, everyone seemed to have gotten sucked into the game.

No sooner had their peace started than the door burst open, revealing a panting Historia.

"Historia, what's the matter?" Eren asked, clearly concerned for his wife.

"Doctor," she panted, "Dean... Dean's hurt."

Without thinking, Levi was already on his feet holding the now awake Marie in his arms and rushed outside the house. he already found himself panicking as he wondered what could have happened to his son.

When he finally got outside, the first things he saw were Carla and Mikasa's hunched figures right next to Dean, who had tears rolling down his face.

"What happened?" he asked, concern evident in his tone.

"I-I don't know," Mikasa panicked, "I just got here and found him crying and there's a lot of blood..."

_Blood? Dean was bleeding?_

As if to confirm his thoughts, Levi took a closer look and saw that indeed Dean's leg was, indeed, covered in blood.

"Everyone move. Let me see him," Grisha said, rushing into the scene with a first aid box in hand and beginning to work on the young Ackerman.

Mikasa rose and immediately took refuge next to Levi.

Out of instinct, Levi used his free hand to wrap around his wife for security while they watched Grisha work.

It was only after Grisha had managed to clear up all the blood did they actually see the wound. it was a large cut, the type of cut that could only be carried out by something like a blade. Thoughts began to flow through Levi's mind.

He shifted his gaze towards Daniel and saw him nervously biting his nails.

_Oh no..._

After Grisha had finally bandaged the boy up and given him a tetanus shot, he allowed him to sit so they could get some information out to him.

"Dean, what happened?" Mikasa asked, sitting next to him, allowing his leg to rest on her lap.

"..." Dean remained silent, avoiding his parents' gazes.

Deciding to help out his wife, Levi put Marie down and crouched in front of the boy.

"Dean, come on," he stared, "tell us what happened."

The boy remained silent, not seeming to be ready to answer questions.

"Dean, we're talking to you," Mikasa urged.

The boy showed signs of breaking but he held strong.

"Tch, Dean. you better look at us when we're talking to you," Levi said before holding Dean's chin and forcing him to look at him. A large part of him wanted him to explain the situation but another part of him was scared to find out the truth because he feared he already knew what it was.

"Dean, can you answer us right now. stop being rude," this time he made sure to make eye contact with the eleven-year-old, giving him a terrifying glare.

Dean gulped.

_the moment of truth._

everyone watched as he opened his mouth to speak, "I-I..."

"I'm sorry!"

Everyone turned to face Daniel,who was the one who cut him off, letting tears roll down his cheeks, confusing everyone.

_Except Levi._

"Daniel, what are you talking about?" Mikasa asked, confused at his sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry!" he cried.

"Sorry for what?" Mikasa persisted.

"Mommy, Dean made me angry and then I hit him and then we started fighting...and then," he continued to cry.

"Daniel, stop crying and talk to me," Mikasa urged, "why did Dean make you angry? what were you fighting over?"

"My knife."

Mikasa's eyes narrowed, "what knife."

Levi watched as Daniel looked around until he saw a knife on the ground. He slowly picked it up and gave it to his mother.

"This one."

Mikasa went silent as she held onto the blade. I was a simple pocket knife with a grooved red handle and a small blade.

Levi recognized that blade instantly, remembering the consequences of its purchase and the time he gave it to Daniel the night before the graduation. The boy was terrified at first but came to accept it after a few hours of encouragement. If Daniel was to get in trouble, Levi wouldn't shy away from taking the fall, considering he's the one that told him to keep it on him at all times.

"Daniel, I want you to be completely honest with me," Mikasa started, glaring at her son intently. All gentleness escaping her voice, leaving only her cold monotone one, more void of emotions than before.

_She already knows the answer to her question_

"Y-Yes, mom?" Daniel trembled.

"Where did you get this knife?" her question was short and straight to the point.

Levi watched as his son's eyes shifted between both him and Mikasa. clearly his entire being was at conflict over what to say. He noted the way his hands started to tremble as his breathing quickened. His legs sarted to tremble and so did his hands even though he brought them up to his face. he watched as his son's eyes glanced between the for the last time and he knew what Daniel's decision was going to be.

_Mamma's boy._

"Dad gave it to me!" he said, shooting his father an apologetic look.

Mikasa dropped the knife.

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_

Levi knew he had screwed up and in no way was Mikasa going to spare him.

He needed to apologize.

Reaching out to calm her down, Levi placed a hand on her shoulder, "Mikasa, let's talk about this."

Within a blink of an eye, Levi was smacked across the face and stumbled back, stunned by Mikasa's action.

_Did she just do that?_

Levi finally managed to snap out of his daze quick enough to see her before she lunged at him.

Mikasa dashed at him with speeds akin to that of a bullet and threw a punch at him, aiming right for his face.

Levi easily dodged her attack by side-stepping and standing right behind her.

"Mikasa wait, we need to talk about this," Levi tried to reach out to her but his plea fell on deaf ears as she had already come in for another attack, looking angrier than before.

Levi was still able to dodge her attack easily because he knew one important fact about his wife.

_she was reckless when her emotions took control of her._

"Mikasa please just listen me," he called out to her once again, trying to calm her down.

Mikasa stopped her advances.

"You idiot! what the hell were you thinking when you gave our eleven-year old a fucking knife?!"

"Mikasa, calm down and let me explain."

"Calm down? Levi, you expect me to calm down when my son got injured because of your stupidity?"

"Mikasa listen..."

"Levi why the fuck did you give him a bloody knife. Like who does that?"

"Calm down and listen" he reached out.

"Levi I can't believe you. Our son's injured because of you."

"How the hell am I supposed to explain myself when you won't even fucking shut up?" Levi snarled, his temper beginning to rise.

At least Mikasa had finally shut up.

Levi exhaled, trying his best to regain his composure. The stares he was receiving from all around him were unnerving him but he kept a straight face.

"Well, I'm waiting for an answer," Mikasa said, glaring at him.

Levi started to gather his thoughts, trying to find a way to explain something that in no way would make sense.

_He had to say something._

"I gave him the knife because he was ready for it."

"Ready for it?" She asked, eyes widened, "what do you mean, ready for it. Is there something I'm missing, is there something I don't know. Was he being prepared for it?"

Levi stayed silent.

"Well answer me, Levi," she stepped forward, coming to a halt right in front of him, "was he receiving some sort of preparations I wasn't aware of."

_Now was the time to come clean._

"I've been training him."

"Training him?"

"Yes, I've been training him," Levi explained, staying calm under her glare.

"...you taught him to use a knife?" Mikasa asked, "Levi, I trusted you. I let my conscience beat me up because I thought I was just being too overprotective. I felt like an idiot for failing to trust that my children were safe in their own father's care."

"And there's no reason for you to think otherwise."

"What do you mean there's no reason for me to think otherwise? Clearly you don't care about our kids!"

"Mikasa, I care about our kids as much as you do and you know that."

"If you cared about our kids then you wouldn't have let Daniel run around with a fucking pocket knife!" Mikasa said, waving the knife in front of him after picking it up.

"It was for a good reason," he defended.

"For what good reason would any sensible adult give their child a knife?" Mikasa asked, "in case you've forgotten, our kids aren't street rats!"

In a swift movement, Levi was already holding Mikasa by the scarf, his eyes shooting her a deadly glare.

"The fuck did you just say?" He growled, his mind already being filled by blind rage.

_Mikasa had struck a nerve._

Mikasa never responded. She just kept her eyes locked on him the entire time, both of their hectic breathing suddenly in sync.

"Go ahead and do it," she exhaled, "hit me..."

Levi let his eyes wander around. Everyone was watching what had transpired before the two of them.

Armin and Historia looked terrified, Grisha held back Eren and Carla, both looking ready to make him regret his actions.

_Not that they even could._

Levi didn't feel himself bothered by the glares he received.

_He had been looked at like that more times than he could count._

Levi only felt himself grow uneasy when he saw his children.

All of them looked shaken to their core, wearing terrified looks on their faces. His thoughts ran all over the place trying to figure out what they were thinking.

Though he never liked to entertain the idea, his mind only painted one potential image of him in their minds.

_They saw a monster._

Levi felt the sting in his chest, struggling to keep his stoic face but it was very obvious he was struggling to keep it together. He felt the protective walls that his every weakness start to crumble. He didn't need to be seen like this, not by his friends, not by his family and certainly not by his kids.

_He had to go_

Levi managed to calm himself to the point he could release Mikasa's scarf and let her stand straight. He locked his eyes with hers once more before turning around.

_He needed to get out of there fast._

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and started to walk off, keeping himself in check while shutting out all the comments he heard Carla mutter from behind his back.

"Daddy!" He heard Marie's little voice call out for him. The voice that always managed to brighten his mood.

_Damnit Marie, not now._

He cursed under his breath and kept in walking. He didn't want to face her.

_Not while he had lost it._

"Daddy!" She called once more before he felt her tugging on his pants leg.

Levi stopped, still avoiding facing her.

"Marie, go back to mommy," he breathed, his voice monotone and his face looking straight ahead.

"But daddy why are you going?" She asked.

_Please Marie. Don't make things hard for me._

Levi still didn't look at her.

"Daddy's tired and going to bed," he answered her question but she still didn't leave. Instead she held up her hands, signaling that she wanted to be carried.

He didn't pick her up.

"Okay, let's go get mommy so we can go together," she persisted.

"Marie, mommy can't come with daddy."

"Why?"

"Listen Marie, it's complicated," he continued, "just go back to mommy."

"But daddy..." she continued, her grey eyes full of concern.

"Marie please listen to me and go back to your mother," Levi said, trying his best to remain calm. He wanted so badly to hold her but he knew better than to hold her while his emotions were a mess.

"Daddy don't go."

"Marie I'm getting very angry right now!" he raised his voice, finally turning to face her, "now please stop acting like a brat and go back to your mother!"

Levi nearly broke down when he saw his daughter's lips quiver as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

His hands were itching to reach out for for her but instead of picking her up, he just shot passed her and into the house.

With quick steps, he was already out the front door.

He stopped for a moment and thoughts began to flood his mind. When he decided to show up for the gathering, he didn't expect to end up leaving as angry as he felt.

He had hoped that things would move smoothly and not leave him feeling so angry, hurt and... embarrassed.

He never expected Mikasa to bring up something he so desperately tried to forget. Sure, his time spent with Erwin had led him to live his life without regretting any of his past, but then his childhood, the times when he was still a thug in the underground city. Those were things he did his best to keep away from his innocent children.

They didn't need to know about how many people he had hurt, how much money he had stolen. Those were the skeletons in his closet and Mikasa...

_She just had to bring them out._

"Tch!" Levi scoffed. He looked down at his shoe and saw it covered in soil. Right in front of it were the remains of a flower pot.

Thanks to his darling wife, he looked like shit in front of his family.

_Damnit!_

Well, he needed to go somewhere. Somewhere where he was sure he wouldn't have to see Mikasa for some time. He couldn't go back to the barracks because well...

_They shared a room for fuck's sake._

"I need to make a call," he grumbled to himself before pulling his cellphone from his pocket.

He immediately started to scroll through his contacts.

_Erwin... no. He's probably busy planning. Don't wanna bother him with my problems._

Levi sighed. The Commander had been so close to him that they were practically best friends. But then, he just didn't feel like giving the man a ring.

He looked at his next contact.

_Miche? No. He's either teaching his kids some stupid trick or is getting freaky with his wives. Sure wouldn't wanna interrupt his family time._

Levi scrolled again.

_Hange..._

"No," he answered out loud before scrolling once more until he stopped on a particular name.

_Petra?_

Petra was Levi's ex-girlfriend. Sure the two of them left things on a bad note with both of them feeling heartbroken but the woman he was seeing after several years had changed. She had matured and so had he.

_If anything, she's the only other person that knew him as much as his wife and friends did._

Levi presses the dial button and brought the phone to his ear, listening to the continuous beeping.

**Petra: Hello, Levi?**

**Levi: ...Petra. We need to talk.**

**Petra: you sound upset... okay should I call or...**

Levi inhaled, his entire being was sending him red flags but he ignored them completely. He was frustrated and he hoped speaking to Petra would calm his nerves. He hoped speaking to Petra would help set things straight. He hoped speaking to Petra was...

_The right thing to do_

**Levi: listen just... just tell me where you are.**

**Okay readers. Thanks for reading this very Long... chapter. Like any long chapter, this was very tiring to write but I'm satisfied with the fact that I'm finally done. I really hope you guys are having fun and please to don't feel shy to tell me what you think. Anyways, that was part one of the multiple update and I can't wait to see you in the last part. Anyways...**

**Peace!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys. Welcome back to another chapter of HSF. This is the second part of the double chapter update and it may play out to be shorter than the previous one. That's because this chapter wasn't initially there. it just came about and I felt the need to put it in. I hope you like it. Anyways…**

**Oh and wait… I don't know if this chapter will make the ratings go up. you tell me.**

"Go ahead and do it," Mikasa challenged, locking her grey eyes with his blue ones, "hit me…"

Mikasa had to admit, seeing him so angry did unnerve her a little. Still, she kept her face confident, not daring to show him any fear.

She had just about had enough of all of this. She couldn't believe Levi would go as far as giving their son a pocket knife, endangering his life with whatever training he was giving him and all this was being done behind her back.

_What happened to trust? Weren't couples supposed to let each other know what was going on?_

Mikasa kept watch as her husband's glare left hers, his eyes surveying the area around him.

His face remained plain as he probably didn't care about what the others thought of him. The looks they had given him were akin to those given to the criminals. But Mikasa wasn't bothered. In fact,

_He deserved it._

His features remained the same up until his eyes looked over her shoulder to where their children were standing.

His pupils dilated and his breathing steadied.

Mikasa steadied herself as soon as he let go of her scarf. She watched, keeping her guard up, as he slowly turned and started to walk away from the group, away from the many scrutinising eyes around him.

She hated to fight with him. She really did, but it was moments like this, when Levi acted so… ugh, that set her off.

Previously they had been fighting about Junior, and Mikasa had come to understand that he was right. She was holding their son back. So what did she do? She gave Junior space and Levi the opportunity to mould him and possibly even all their children.

Today had been a different day, Dean had gotten injured because of a pocket knife, owned by Daniel, given to him by Levi for God knows what reason but whatever it was,

_In no way was it right to give their son a dangerous weapon._

"Daddy!"

Mikasa was pulled out of her void of thoughts by the sound of Marie's small voice calling out to her father.

Before Mikasa could even say anything, the little girl rushed over to her father, trying her best to reach out to him.

From everyone else's angle, the conversation looked one sided but Mikasa knew he was trying his best to keep himself composed so as to not break down in front of their little one.

Mikasa loved Levi, with all her heart and there was nothing that would ever change that. She knew that he loved their children as much as she did and she'd never doubt that. Still, there was still a very thin line between complete carelessness and what he had done.

_There was only so much she could tolerate._

Mikasa flinched, when she heard him raise his voice at Marie, the little girl immediately beginning to cry while Levi retreated into the house, leaving everyone outside.

"The nerve of that man, putting his poor children in danger," Carla commented before looking at Mikasa, "you see what I was saying, dear?"

Mikasa didn't respond to her mother, she instead rushed over to her daughter and picked her up, holding her crying form close to her bosom. She began to bounce her.

"Sh... stop crying," she whispered into Marie's ears, trying her best to calm her down but what happened next, shocked her.

"No! let go of me! I don't want you!" she wailed, kicking and pounding her fists against Mikasa's torso. They didn't hurt physically but there was a stinging sensation in her chest.

"Marie, what's going on?" Mikasa asked, looking down at her.

"Mikasa, what's going on?" Carla asked, walking up behind her, "why's she upset?"

"Grandma!" Marie said, reaching out for her grandmother.

Hesitantly Mikasa, Mikasa let Marie go into her grandmother's arms. She couldn't tell what stung more, being rejected by her own daughter or her daughter being more comfortable in someone else's arms.

"Marie, what's going on?" Carla asked Marie, who was pouting right back at Mikasa.

"Mommy made daddy angry!" she spat.

"That's because your daddy did something wrong," Carla explained.

"No, it's because mommy's a… a bad mommy!"

Mikasa gasped. That was the cherry on top. She had never, in her entire life as a parent, anticipated being scorned by any of her children. She had done her best to be there for them. Even when she was working. She'd come home exhausted but still have manage to save up enough energy to watch the kids' favourite evening shows with them before dosing off on the couch. She never wanted her kids to see her in a bad light.

"No, sweetie. Your mommy's not bad," Carla tried to convince the child.

Using her sleeves to wipe away the tears that almost strayed from her eyes. Mikasa sniffled before saying, "Mom, thank you for having us over. I really need to go."

_She needed to leave, fast._

"Won't you at least be there for dinner?" Carla asked, worried about her daughter, "you don't have to help out in the kitchen."

"No, it's fine. Just make sure Junior eats before he leaves," she said before feeling a hand tap her back. She turned and found all her other kids behind her.

"Mom," Daniel's voice came in a rather sombre tone.

"Yes, Danny," Mikasa calmed her features.

"I'm sorry for making you and dad fight."

Mikasa's eyes widened.

"No, mom. It's not Danny's fault," Dean interjected, sounding equally sombre, "I'm the one who wanted to play Assassins with him."

"No, Dean. If I hadn't been such a brat and kept my mouth shut, mom wouldn't have gotten mad," Daniel argued.

_No… please no._

"Guys… please… stop arguing," Mikasa cut them off.

"But mom…"

"Listen, it's neither of your faults that your father and I fought, okay?" she started, "so please don't blame yourselves. What happened was only between mom and dad. You kids are completely innocent," she then placed her hands on their shoulders, "I shouldn't hear you guys blame yourselves again."

"Okay…" the said in unison.

"Good, now give me a hug," she said, prompting the boys to hug her. "You boys should be good to your grandparents alright?"

"Yup!" they responded, popping the 'p' sound.

She then lifted her gaze to Junior, who had been standing there the whole time, stuffing his hands in his pockets while wearing a frown on his face.

"Junior, is everything alright?"

"Yeah," he nodded, avoiding eye contact.

Deciding not to pry even more, Mikasa offered him a nod before turning.

"Wait, mom."

She stopped.

"You… you and dad are going to be okay, right?"

Mikasa frowned. she didn't want her kids worrying that their parents would separate. that was something that she had never dreamed of. She loved her family too much. She was in love with her husband, no matter how irritating he could get at times, and she loved her children equally as much. Now that their children had started to worry, thoughts ran through Mikasa's mind.

_Perhaps their fighting was getting out of hand._

Mikasa nodded her head. she had come to a conclusion. When she got back to the base, she was going to have a long talk with her husband. They needed to sort things out.

For now, all she needed to do was assure her children.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine," she smiled back at them, "okay guys, I've got to go now. Junior, you should come after you eat dinner."

"Okay," she heard them respond before she continued to walk.

"Bye mom…bye Marie," she waved, the former smiling back at her while the latter just frowned.

Mikasa smiled back at her daughter regardless. The little girl was probably just tired and confused. Perhaps Levi's thinking wasn't so far off. at this point she might have to start giving Marie some space to actually think.

The half-Asian proceeded to approach the door, waving goodbye to everyone as she did so.

"Mikasa," she heard Grisha call and turned around.

"Yes?"

Grisha walked up to her and placed something in her hands. she looked at it.

_The Knife?_

Mikasa raised her eyes to meet Grisha's, asking for the reason.

"I want you to keep this and try and think about it. think about everything that has just happened today," Grisha started, wearing an expression Mikasa couldn't decipher, "I need you to have a nice long chat with Levi, too. You need to come to a common understanding."

_Was this his way of giving advice?_

"I-I will," Mikasa nodded, "thank you. Have a good night."

With that, Mikasa proceeded to exit the house, with only one thing in mind.

Getting ready to confront her significant other.

* * *

"Hey, Mikasa. How was lunch with the family?" Marco asked, leaning against the wall as Mikasa passed by.

"Oh it was… okay," Mikasa said, maintaining her usual plain expression, not giving any indications despite her hesitation.

"And how's Jean doing?" Mikasa asked, remembering the news of his missing son.

Marco frowned. Clearly he was worried about his friend, "honestly, not so good. He's been upset the whole day. He made us walk around town all day just so we could find Pierre," he then sighed, "I completely understand how devastated he is but, I'm exhausted."

"How exactly did Pierre go missing anyway?" Mikasa asked, already beginning her private investigation.

"Well, Jean and I decided to take Pierre to the park after he complained about being bored," Marco started, "when we got there, we played tag a little bit before Jean told him to play with the other kids on the playground. I left Jean to check on this store that was selling everything half-off and man it was crazy in there, people beating crap out of each other over a pair of sandals. some big guy tried to bite me," he smiled before shaking his head, "but anyway. When I got back to the park, I found Jean frantically moving up and down saying Pierre went missing."

"Oh, I see," Mikasa said, taking note, "where is Jean?"

"Oh, he's… actually I don't know where he is," Marco said, growing concerned, "I need to find him. see yah, Mikasa."

Mikasa watched as Marco ran off to find the brooding father. Even though Jean was still a pain, she still hoped he was okay. She then proceeded to her room.

She stopped outside the door and reached out for the handle.

It didn't budge.

_It's locked. He hasn't arrived yet._

She dug into her pocket and pulled out a spare key, twisting it into the keyhole and entering the room.

She closed the door behind her and immediately slipped out of her shoes, letting her feet touch the cold wooden floor.

She placed the shoes near the shoe rack and walked over to the bed, crawling to the centre and sitting down, not forgetting to put the knife onto the end table.

_It's awfully cold._

Mikasa couldn't tell if she was cold because winter was approaching or because the bed felt…

_Empty._

Levi wasn't there so she couldn't talk to him just yet. It wasn't a bad thing, perhaps it just meant she had an opportunity to prepare.

_Prepare for what? He was her husband. Talking to him wasn't supposed to be hard…_

_Was it?_

Mikasa shook her head. she had started to acknowledge that she was starting to get nervous about it. She didn't know why, and it was killing her. She just needed to wait for him to arrive and then they would have an actual conversation.

_Yeah, definitely beats worrying about things._

Finally, content with her decision, Mikasa scooted over to her side of the bed and reached out for the parenting book on the end table. Maybe that would help her pass time and probably allow her to understand if she'd gone wrong anywhere.

"_Chapter 6: Listening"_

Mikasa sighed, wondering whether it was by coincidence or fate that the chapter she had just started shared similarities to the recent events.

She then sighed before deciding to start reading, her mind quickly being immersed into the sea of knowledge offered by the book.

* * *

"_Chapter 9: Trust"_

Mikasa turned the page, entering the new chapter. Over an hour had passed and she had already read two chapters, each of them putting her mind through a lot of thought.

The door swung open, snapping Mikasa's eyes away from the book.

In the arch stood Levi, looking as indifferent as ever.

Mikasa watched as he closed the door behind him and proceeded to walk towards the shoe rack. He took off his shoes and neatly placed them onto the rack, scoffing when he noticed Mikasa's misplaced ones and placed them onto the rack.

_Seems normal_

Finally gathering up enough courage, Mikasa managed to say, "hi."

"Hi," he responded before taking off his jacket and placing it on the coat hanger.

"H-How are you feeling?"

_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

Mikasa cursed herself for asking something like that when she obviously knew the answer.

"Like shit," he deadpanned, finally turning to her. "but that's better than I was feeling before."

"…that's good."

"I guess," he said, walking over to his side of the bed and plopping down, turning to rest his back against the wall.

The air still felt tense and it was getting tenser.

Mikasa decided to put the book down and scooted closer to him, noticing the side glance he gave her when she sat next to him.

They were close enough for their sides to be touching.

Neither said a word.

Mikasa let her head lean against his shoulder, closing her eyes as she took in his musk. It was strong, yet pleasant. Giving her a feeling of security in the warmth of his presence. A feeling of regret coursing through her being for even arguing with him in the first place.

_For arguing with the man she loved._

Mikasa gasped when she felt him shift a little next to her, getting nervous that he'd leave her alone to feel cold once more but instead.

_She felt warmer._

Levi had stopped shifting and had wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him, resting his head on hers.

Mikasa internally sighed out of relief and smiled to herself knowing he hadn't pushed her away.

_Perhaps today was going to be a good day after all._

"How are you…feeling?"

"I'm fine Levi…" Mikasa sighed, remembering the previous events, "how are you feeling?"

"Like I said, Mikasa," he stared, "Like shit, but better."

"Right," Mikasa nodded, closing her eyes to relax against him, enjoying his presence, thinking back to all the memories they had spent together. The times they'd spend in each other's arms, be it watching a movie, being on a date, comforting each other after an argument or loss, or even simply enjoying sitting there in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence. And all those times, there was one thing she always wanted to see.

_His face._

Mikasa lifted her eyes until they landed exactly where they were meant to be.

As though it were for the first time, Mikasa took in his features, examining each of them closely. She raised her hand and cupped his cheek, enjoying the slightly ruff feeling that had developed probably due to slowly growing stubble.

Her eyes finally landed on his and instantly got lost the sea of blue, hoping to drown in them for as long as possible.

The two stayed that way, their breathing in sync alongside their resonating heartbeats.

Having had enough admiring, Mikasa pulled his head closer and connected their lips.

She sighed as Levi adjusted himself and brought her onto his lap so she was straddling him.

He leaned in to deepen the kiss, placing his hands on her hips.

Finally tired of kneeling, Mikasa decided to relax against him and sat.

_Oh…_

Mikasa's face flushed, "already excited, are we?" she asked in between breaths.

Levi pulled away, that carnal look in his eyes, "don't forget, Mrs. Ackerman, when I'm done with you, you won't be able to walk straight," he growled.

"We'll see about that Mr. Ackerman," she said before pulling back into the kiss.

Mikasa let her hands wander from his face and onto his chest, admiring the firmness of his well-built torso.

_Damn this shirt._

Mikasa's fingers got to work and masterfully started to work on the buttons, undoing them one by one until Levi's chest was exposed.

She let her hands run along his rock-hard abs.

_All that hard work paid off._

At the same time, Levi had been working on unbuttoning her top as well, with speeds mimicking Mikasa and helped her shrug off the shirt, revealing her equally well-built torso.

"Fuck, you're so beautiful," Levi growled, his eyes looking all over her.

Deciding that they needed to go further, Mikasa lowered hands until they found themselves at his belt buckle.

* * *

Mikasa lay on the bed, tangled in the sheets and panting heavily, staring at the ceiling.

"That was great."

"Yeah…" she heard Levi respond, "but did you really have to throw me off like that?"

Mikasa lifted her head enough to see the foot of the bed, where she saw Levi lying on the floor, "what could I do? You weren't going to pull out and I'm pretty sure I made it clear that we were stopping on Marie."

"What are you talking about?" Levi asked, getting up and walking up to the bed, plopping down beside her, "I always pull out."

"Really?" she raised her eyebrows, "because if I can remember properly, you said those exact same words he night we made Junior, and the twins, and Marie."

Levi sighed, a small smile forming on his face, "Okay fine, you've got me," he said before briefly glancing at her legs, "do you think you'll be able to walk."

_He was really serious about that, wasn't he?_

Mikasa rolled her eyes before propping herself onto her elbow so she could look at him, "what if I say I can?"

"We can go again," he sat up.

"Easy lover boy," Mikasa pushed him back down and continued to gaze into his eyes. his eyes, however, were looking much lower than her face.

_Ugh, men._

"You know Levi," she started, his eyes shooting up to meet hers, "I think, this is what we needed."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, this… getting intimate with each other. I think it's brought us closer again," she explained, "We haven't been able to reconnect in this way for months now. Maybe all that sexual tension forced us to get frustrated with each other and fight."

Levi's eyes narrowed and he looked away.

_Not a good sign._

"Levi?"

"Tch," he scoffed, sitting up, "so you think everything's okay now just because we had sex?"

Mikasa's eyes widened.

_What was happening?_

"Levi, I…"

"You thought you could get rid of your guilt by getting me to fuck you. You thought I'd forget about everything once you got me under you," Levi spat, "shit, Petra was right!"

Mikasa's eyes widened.

_Petra?_

"Petra?" Mikasa asked in disbelief, "Levi, how the hell, is Petra involved?"

"None of your damn business," he deadpanned.

"Levi this is a hundred percent my business!" Mikasa raised her voice, "did you tell your ex-girlfriend about what's been happening between the two of us?"

"So, what if I did!" Levi growled at her, "My own wife didn't want to listen to me so I went to someone who did."

_Was he being serious? Was he being fucking serious?_

"Levi, you could've gone to Erwin, Miche, Hange," she said, striking her left palm with her right pointer finger as she listed each person, "yet you went right back to your ex-girlfriend. Why the hell would you do that?"

"I gave you the fucking answer Mikasa. It's because she listened to me. She took the time to see things from my point of view!" he yelled.

"But you could've gone to someone else, I mean, Erwin would've listened to you," Mikasa pointed out, "heck you could've waited and told me to my face. I would've listened."

She was having a hard time understanding why her husband would choose to complain about his marital life to his ex, the same person that had left him heartbroken all those years ago. The same person he had chosen to forget and move on with his life.

"Mikasa, you have no control over my decisions."

"But Levi!"

"Mikasa!" he roared, banging his fist against the wall.

Mikasa was at a loss for words. She could only stare back at his features, watching them morph from their enraged tension to a calmer one. Levi's face returned to its default state.

He retracted his fist from the wall, "You know what, fuck Petra. She doesn't matter."

"Okay Levi then tell me what it was she told you," Mikasa started, "tell me what it was that she was right about."

"It doesn't matter what she said," Levi defended, "you see, Mikasa. That's the problem with you. You always think you're right. And if something doesn't sit well with you then it's wrong. It doesn't deserve to be considered."

"Back at your parents' place you were so driven by your own emotions and views that you forgot that I was your husband," he continued, "first you slapped me and then you accused me of not caring for our kids. If that wasn't bad enough, you decided to bring up something I so much wanted to forget like it was nothing."

Mikasa saw the look in his eyes. it wasn't the same the same angry one he wore before, nor was it the empty one he always had on. This one was different. It looked almost as if he were…

_Hurting._

"You gave literally zero shits about how I felt. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me? Do you know how bad that made me look? You didn't see the way everyone was looking at me. The way my own children looked at me," he took a deep breath, "tell me Mikasa, what makes you think I don't care about our kids? When did I stop loving them as much as you do? Mikasa, for fuck's sake, when have I ever hit you?"

_What had she done?_

Mikasa stayed silent. She never realised all this could've hurt him. But then, he always wore that emotionless mask on his face. No one could've known.

_No one but her._

The guilt started to engulf her but she didn't know what to say so she stayed silent.

"Tch!"

She snapped out of her thoughts and saw Levi getting off the bed.

_What did she do? Did she say anything? Was she too quiet maybe?_

"Levi where are you going?" she asked, watching him put his clothes back on. The same sweaty, smelly clothes he wore before.

_He was really mad._

Levi didn't answer. After putting on his pants, he grabbed his shirt and walked over to the shoe rack to grab his boots.

After putting them on, he approached the door and opened it. He stood in the archway and without turning, he said, "Goodnight, Mikasa."

He closed the door.

Mikasa sat in shock after what had just happened, not sure exactly how to react.

She pulled the blankets closer to her chest together with her knees. Her mind started to race, race through that day's events, Dean injured, Daniel's terrified face, yelling at Levi, watching him go, seeing her daughter crying for him, being rejected by her when she tried to hold her, the twins blaming themselves for the fight, Junior worrying about their marriage.

Mikasa felt her throat tighten and her eyes sting. She held the blankets tighter, her breathing destabilising.

Her thoughts continued on, sitting next to Levi on the bed, enjoying his presence, reconnecting with him.

Her thoughts shifted back to the sadder ones. Arguing with him again, seeing the look on his face, having him walk out on her. Her day hadn't been a great one.

_And it was all because of her_

"What have I done?" she whispered to herself as the tears started to flow down her cheeks. She never wanted things to turn out like this. She hoped the day would be fine. She hoped everything would end as wonderfully as it did when they had the picnic.

Yet here she was, all alone, feeling the room getting colder by the second, replacing the warmth she felt when she was in Levi's arms.

_Today wasn't a great day in the end._

**Hey there readers, there was chapter 17. Levi finally poured his heart out to his wife. Whoa that was quite something to write. Thanks so much for reading so far and I hope you're still ready for the rest of the story because there's more for yah.**

**Editing the past two chapters was fun because many of the things I wanted to remove ended up staying because I felt they fit perfectly. I hope you enjoyed the Drama. I hoped you enjoyed the way things played out because wow, this was deep. do you think the Ackermans are going to pull through? Do you think their marriage will last to the end? What about Daniel and his Knife. what's the story?**

**all these answers are waiting to be revealed in the remainder of the story. so please guys. stay tuned. If you have any questions you'd like to ask, feel free to drop a PM. I'd answer as soon as I could.**

**I'd love to hear what you all think about this chapter so don't feel too shy to air your views.**

** SHOUTOUT TO THE FOLLOWING:**

arrios18,aydenmdillon,CerisierJin,CrossoverLover2013,emwal6492,InconspicuousRock, ,Redior,Tonkhao,xxxivyninjaxx and all the guest readers that have stuck to the story. I appreciate the support.

Well all I can say for now is see you whenever next I update.

**Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

**The first thing I'm going to say is that I am SOOORRRY for the late update. Like I said, I can only write when I have time and this period of time has been pretty busy as I have been busy with school work. So when I finally got to write, I was faced with serious writer's block and it took literal days for me to finish a single chapter so when I did manage to write one, I realised that it had been a while so I figured I'd be better off leaving you with more than chapter to go over while you wait for another unspecified period of time. Again, I am sorry for the late update. And for the inconsistent update schedule.**

**Back to the story, I'm back with a triple—yes triple—triple update to HSF and I'd like to say thank you very very much for the reviews the previous chapters got. I am glad you liked them because I enjoyed writing them. That said, I'm curious to know if these chapters will still keep you all hooked to this fic because I love writing and it's encouraging to see that people out there are enjoying it. You know, it feels good to know that this is doing something good for people out there. **

**Also I would like to inform you that I had noticed something that would be an inconsistency later on within the story about Mikasa and the strange titan's fight. The outcome of the battle was altered if you go back to ch12.**

**Back to the story.**

The sun had already begun to set at Rose Park, covering all from its beautiful scenery to each of its nooks and crannies in its golden hue. It was at this time that the majority of park goers present ranged from the teenagers exploring the wonders of love to elderly couples already cemented together by it.

_So… sleepy…_

Unlike most people his age, Douglas Meyer found this atmosphere perfect for nodding off against a tree, allowing him escape from the busy real world into one where his mind could actually be at ease. His eyes felt heavy and his breathing slowed, only his light snoring could be heard.

"Doug," he heard a voice call beside him but he kept his eyes shut, still striving for sleep.

"Doug…"

"Hmmm?" he hummed, his eyes still closed.

"Doug!"

"Okay, I'm awake!" he said, sitting straight up. He looked beside him and locked eyes with Irene's glaring ones. "What?"

"Wow, Doug. So you dragged me all the way out here just to fall asleep on me?" Irene asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I didn't expect you to start sketching while we were out here," he defended, pointing at the sketch pad on the girl's lap. He then leaned in closer to take a better look at the paper, "what are you drawing, anyway?"

"I was drawing the sun," she responded.

Doug raised his eyebrow at the drawing. It looked more like a woman than any sun he had ever seen, "really? I never knew the sun was a woman."

"I try to think of the sun as this large bright deity that covers all the creatures below her with her warmth and light, giving them live, and in return, they bow before her," she explained, motioning to each part of the drawing, "when you look at it this way, you'll start to appreciate it more."

_Hippie_

"Well, if that's the case then the sun's got me really appreciating her rack," Doug pointed out before blocking the playful punch he received from Irene.

"Dammit Doug, you're making it weird," Irene said before closing the sketch pad.

"Oh come on," he said, throwing his arm over her shoulder and pulling her close to him, "I appreciate your rack too."

"Not helping."

"heh, okay then I'll stop talking and let's just watch the sunset," he suggested, to which Irene nodded and they did sit in silence, watching as the glow changed from gold to purple.

"This is really pretty," Irene's voice came from below him.

"Yeah, it is," he responded, equally taking in the sight before him, "when I still lived in the woods, Annie always used to take me to this hill where we would watch the sunset together after a long day of work."

"Whenever we talk, you always tell me about what you and Annie's lives were like before this whole titan mess," Irene started before looking up at him, "it seems like you guys were really close. What happened?"

"…I don't know. She just…" he started, trying to shake off the thoughts that started to fill his mind. All the shade the woman had been giving him, the way she spoke to him, the way she looked at him. He just…

_Ugh…_

"Let's… let's not talk about it," Doug sighed, finally shaking off the thoughts.

He felt Irene give his hand a little squeeze.

Doug looked down at the blonde, noticing the concerned look on her face. He found himself smiling at how she looked. It had been a while since someone had cared so much about him. The sad part was that it was she, of all people, that cared him.

_I don't deserve this._

He then found himself frowning down at her, "Irene, please… don't feel so bad for me. I don't like seeing you look so sad."

"Doug, I'm getting worried about you," Irene continued.

Doug mustered up what was probably his best smile yet, "Irene please, don't worry about it. I'm fine," he started, offering her a comforting gaze "at this rate I'll end up being the one trying to comfort you."

"Okay I'll let it go but if you've got anything on your mind, you should tell me alright," Irene said to which he nodded, "good. That's what I love to hear."

"Now let's watch the sunset," Doug started, "I wanna see it's rack."

"Doug… you're such an idiot," Irene sighed before leaning against him, "but yeah, let's watch it."

Doug had to admit that he did enjoy having her so close to him. She made him feel better during the times he felt low. She respected him and was willing to be there for him whenever she could. She was a nice girl, deserving of a nice life with nice, smart guy who probably wasn't...him. He frowned as he started to remember the conversations he had with Annie regarding their relationship. She was such a nice girl and he didn't deserve her.

_I'm really sorry, Irene._

He shook off the thoughts. There was no way he was going to start getting depressed at such a nice moment. Because of that, he just started to focus on the fact he was with Irene and soon, light snoring could be heard.

"Doug…"

"Heh, relax I'm just kidding," he chuckled, showing her that he was awake.

"Hey guys!" Junior's voice called, forcing them both to look in direction. He was coming over with a girl beside him, who was dressed in a Garrison Uniform.

"Hey Levi," Irene greeted as they both stood up to greet him.

"Hey Irene. Hey Doug," Junior greeted before motioning for the girl beside him, "guys, I'd like you to meet Mackenzie. We were friends back in my old neighbourhood."

"Nice to meet you, Mackenzie. I'm Irene, Irene Smith," Irene greeted the girl whose first response was to lean in and sniff her.

Irene gave Junior a puzzled look.

"It's a long story," he sighed, shrugging his shoulder.

"Douglas Meyer, but everyone calls me Doug-or Meyer," Doug offered, not bothered by the sniffing girl.

After she finished her sniffing, the girl leaned back at smirked at the two, raising her hand brush away her bangs to reveal her green eyes, "Mackenzie Zacharius, nice to meet you Irene," she said before glancing in Doug's direction with a raised eyebrow, "you smell funny."

"I get that a lot."

"Zacharius…" Irene repeated, trying to remember something before snapping her fingers in realisation, "You must be related to Section Commander Zacharius, right?" she asked to which the girl nodded.

"The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?" Mackenzie pointed out and for sure, the girl did look a lot like Section Commander Zacharius. Other than the obvious height difference, she was like a little female version of him.

"Hey guys, Mackenzie was about to take me to an arcade," Junior started, "I was thinking of inviting you guys to hang out with us."

"I don't know, Junior," Irene started before smirking at him, "we wouldn't want to…intrude."

"Tsk. Really Irene?" Junior rolled his eyes, "Mackenzie and I are just friends. As a matter of fact, she's like a sister to me," he said before throwing his arm around her shoulder, "right, Mack?"

"...sure," Mackenzie responded.

There was no way of denying that Mackenzie just blushed because Doug saw it and so did Irene.

_Someone's got a crush on Junior._

"Oh… friend zoned," Doug chuckled, looking over at Mackenzie.

"To think I'm being friend zoned by the guy that begged me to be his date for Junior prom because his crush said she'd rather stay home than show up with him," she said, regaining her composure and pointing at him with her thumb, "the guy almost got on his knees."

_Nice save._

"Really?" Irene asked, raising her eyebrow, "I never knew you could get so desperate, Levi."

"I know right."

"Tch, that's enough," Junior said, interrupting the girls, "look it's getting late and we should get to the arcade before it closes," he continued, "so are you coming or what?"

"Sure, sounds like fun," Irene before looking at Doug.

"Yeah, I'm down for that," Doug agreed before looking around. It had gotten a bit dark, "what time is it though?"

"It's 6PM," Irene responded after looking at her wrist, "why?"

"I have somewhere to be, actually," Doug said, remembering Annie had asked—told—him to meet her somewhere soon. "Sorry, I'll chill with you guys next time."

"Doug, will you be okay?"

Doug smiled down at her, "Irene, quit worrying," he started, "I'll be fine." He then turned around, "have fun-and tell me what happens between Junior and Mackenzie on your little chill."

"Will do."

With that, Doug began to walk away from the group, trying to get to the set Rendezvous point.

He approached the parking lot and took a seat on his bike, taking one last look at the spot where the other teenagers stood. He smiled when his eyes landed on his girlfriend as he turned on the engine. At first he just dated her because he thought she was hot but he slowly started to see past all of that. She was pretty, yes, and she was also very smart and also quite courageous. The cherry on top was that the fact that she never just saw him as the idiot everyone else saw.

Coming back to reality, Doug revved the engine and drove off. His blonde hair blowing in the wind as he navigated the busy town. He spotted a good number of Scouts around town, probably trying to have as much fun as they could as it was their last free day.

* * *

A short drive later, Doug came to a halt outside a large building, covered in neon lights.

He pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and glanced between it and the building before him.

_The Sky Bar. Yeah, this is it._

Finally turning the engine off, Doug dismounted his bike and began to approach the entrance of the large building where a large amount of people lined up, being inspected by bulky looking door bouncers that reminded him of someone he knew.

"I can't remember the last time I saw someone come to the club wearing sandals," The bulky door bouncer said, looking Doug up and down, "Let me take a look at your ID."

Doug didn't respond because he kept on trying to analyse who the bouncer reminded him of.

_Aha, he kinda looks like Reiner._

"Hey kid, you deaf or something?" he asked, scowling at him.

"Oh, sorry," Doug shook his head and reached into his pocket and pulled out an ID.

The bouncer took the ID and took a close look at it, "Douglas Meyer, huh?" he asked, taking the opportunity to look at Doug, "it says here you're twenty-three," he said before calling his friend, "hey Mark. Does this guy look twenty-three to you?"

"You're only delaying the line. If his ID says he's twenty-three, then he's twenty-three. Let him in."

Doug felt a brief sensation of victory as he walked passed the bouncer and into the dimly lit room. He glanced around the area, hoping to see the short woman through the crowded building.

He began to make his way through the crowd, weaving passed the drunken club goers that danced and puked all over the place.

"Damn It's hot," Doug panted as he finally escaped the dance floor and reached the section where a section of club goers sat around filling themselves with alcohol. He let his eyes wander around but he still hadn't found who he was looking for.

_Where is she?_

"Excuse me sir," waitress approached him, "do you need help being seated?"

"Oh no," Doug shook her off, "I'm fine."

"Okay then. Enjoy your night," she said before walking off.

Deciding he wasn't going to find her if he stayed in that position, Doug proceeded to walk around, searching for the short woman.

_If I were a short, angry, blonde woman, where would I be?_

"Ah, there they are, Moblit."

Douglas felt his heart skip a beat when he heard the familiar voice. Quickly scanned the area around him and immediately identified the familiar head of brown being trailed by her assistant.

_Shit, they can't see me._

Being seen by his senior officers meant being questioned and he definitely had no excuse for being in a club, especially if they asked how he got in in the first place. How was he going to explain that he had a fake ID without coming across as suspicious? The Doug they knew had the IQ of a goldfish and why would someone like that own a fake ID?

With that, he tried to avoid Hange by making himself go deeper into the crowd.

"Well if it isn't shitty glasses."

Doug, once again, felt his heart skip a beat when he recognised that voice as well. He followed the direction of the voice and his eyes landed on a booth where his other senior officers sat.

_Crap._

Without thinking, Doug sprinted even further into the crowd. He was getting a bit frustrated. First he couldn't find Annie and he knew she'd blow up at him for being late. And second, he had to be sneaky because he didn't want to have to end up answering questions.

_Things couldn't get any worse could they?_

* * *

"I haven't tasted beer this good since… since…," Erwin started as he looked at the glass in his hand, swishing the liquid around, "…actually, I can't even remember the last time I did drink."

"That's because you got shitfaced and were almost kidnapped the last time you drank," Miche said from beside him, taking a swig of his own beer.

"Oh."

"Really? What happened?" Nanaba asked from opposite him, taking a sip of her wine.

"It's a long story, "the commander sighed as he continued to drink more of his beer.

"A long and crazy one," Miche chuckled, probably recalling the memory, "right, Levi?" When he got no response, he looked in Levi's direction, "you're already on your sixth glass."

"And I'm still not drunk," Levi complained as he brought the glass to his mouth, grunting in dissatisfaction as he didn't get the sensation he was hoping for.

It had been two days since he had his fight with Mikasa and things had surprisingly calmed down. Though, it could've been because neither ever bothered to mention it and went on as though nothing ever happened. It wasn't like it was unusual. He, for one, never really bothered to brood over things like arguments and Mikasa… Mikasa just decided to keep quiet about it. Though, he could tell that she hadn't really gotten over it. He'd heard her mumbling about it in her sleep and often caught her spacing out whenever they were alone together.

_Guilt must've been hitting her hard._

Now, normally, Levi never gave a shit whenever someone decided to brood over whatever issues they were going through but things were much more different with Mikasa.

_She's his wife. She was one of the few people he gave the most shits about._

That was why he was trying to get as hammered as he could tonight. Hopefully, it would help him blow off some steam and finally have a full night's sleep instead of the usual three to four hours. Maybe after then, he'd be able to have a mature chat with his wife in which he wasn't in a grumpy mood.

_Yeah, that would work._

There was one boundary standing in his way, however. His unnaturally high, alcohol tolerance. How was he supposed to carry out his idea when he couldn't get drunk to begin with?

_So easily, anyway._

"I don't think waking up with a terrible hangover is the best way to resume work," Erwin pointed out.

"A fucking hangover would definitely be better than how shitty I'm feeling right now," he groaned as he downed the remainder in his glass, "why's this so weak?"

"Ha-ha-ha! Levi don't be ridiculous. This beer tastes great! Right Moblit?" Hange laughed from beside him, motioning over to her assistant who nodded in response. The woman was already dizzy from her second glass of the same beer that Levi couldn't seem to work into his system.

_Lucky her._

"Why do you want to get drunk so badly, anyway?" Erwin asked, visibly curious about Levi's interest in getting intoxicated.

"Why else do people get drunk, Erwin?" Levi asked, reaching out to the beer tower to refill his glass. He brought it up to his mouth and decided to gulp it down, feeling the liquid flow down his throat leaving the bitter—but somewhat pleasant—aftertaste in his mouth. He closed his eyes as he felt the alcohol start to take its effect, deepening his breathing and slowing down his heart rate.

Levi finally decided to open his eyes, seeing the room slowly swaying around him. This was it. This was exactly what he needed. However, a few seconds later, the alcohol's effect had already started wearing off, leaving Levi feeling soberer than ever.

"Tch, I'm done," he declared, placing the glass on the table and leaning into the couch, crossing his arms and legs simultaneously, "I'm fucking done."

"I'm failing to understand why getting drunk is such a big deal to you?" Nanaba commented, amusedly from her position next to Moblit

"And I'm failing to understand why you're all so concerned. We're in a club for fuck's sake. Isn't getting drunk the whole point?" he said, keeping his eyes locked on the brown liquid, held behind the glass walls of the beer tower with condensation running down its exterior. He sighed before shaking his head in disappointment.

_You had one job…_

Deciding to forget about the alcohol, which Hange continuously helped herself to, he decided to ask, "so are we gonna pretend that we didn't see Meyer running around in here?"

"Oh yeah…" Hange spoke, reaching out to the tower to refill her glass, "I noticed… him trying to… to dodge us in the crowd. I was gonna… call him but…" she suddenly went quiet and when everyone looked at her, she was somehow fast asleep with her hand still holding the glass that was soon starting to overflow.

Levi felt his innards move when he saw the liquid pouring onto the table. He was already irritated by the fact that the booze failed him and now Shitty Glasses was already making a mess.

_Nope._

"Tch, wake up shitty glasses," Levi scoffed, bringing his palm onto her back with a loud thud, "you're messing the table."

"Huh? What was I talking about?" she shot awake, somehow flinging the glass at Moblit, messing his shirt.

"You were talking about how you saw Meyer," Erwin clarified.

"Oh yeah," she remembered, "I was gonna call… him but I saw you guys and… decided to…to brush him off," she explained before looking at Moblit, "Moblit, what happened to your shirt."

"Wait, this Meyer guy's that blonde kid from Squad Levi, Right?" Miche asked, as he reached out to refill his glass.

"Unfortunately."

"I don't like the way he smells," Miche said in a more serious tone.

"No one does."

"No, Levi I mean… there's something about him that just doesn't sit well with me," Miche clarified.

"Can't judge you for it," Levi responded, recalling his first meeting with Doug, "no matter how stupid he seems, the kid can fight. Almost knocked me over once when I let my guard down around him."

"Hey guys! We… we came here to have fun," Hange started, "not to… to start worrying because a kid… a kid snuck into a night club."

"I never knew how bad you were at holding your drinks," Nanaba commented, looking at the brunette amusedly.

"That's rich, coming from the only person drinking wine," Miche commented, taking a swig of his beer. Before Nanaba could retort, his eyes were already focused somewhere else, "well look who's here."

Everyone followed his eyes until they landed on a group of familiar faces.

"Well if it isn't Squad Levi," Erwin said as the group of vets walked towards them.

"Sorry we're late," Petra started, "there was a bit of a hold up."

"No problem. We were actually getting started," Erwin said, "please, sit down."

The new arrivals soon found their seats in the booth and soon, loud chatter filled the table, each soldier sharing their memories of their shared time in Paradis' Army as well as their more recent ones.

"There was this time when Gunther and I were helping train some new Garrison recruits when this one soldier, I forget his name, came up to me and told me he was too tired to continue training," Eld started, everyone listening to his story, "the thing was, we had just started training and the guy had even arrived late saying he overslept so I told him he'd get an extra lap for tardiness and you know what he does? He just waves me off and walks passed me to back to the dorms."

"And what did you about it?" Nanaba asked, downing her third glass of wine.

Eld sighed as a satisfied smirk formed on his face. He then shifted his gaze over to Gunther, "tell them."

"So Eld and I decided to pay him a little midnight visit and took him out for some fresh air," Gunther started, "the guy woke up floating in the canal the next morning. He had to walk across town back to the barracks."

"That was the last time he ever disrespected us," Eld said before extending his fist to Gunther, who bumped it "I must say that was a job well done. Gunther."

"You too, Eld."

"So you're the ones that did that to the poor guy?" Petra asked, raising her eyebrow, "well, I can't blame you. The guy should've known better than to disrespect his superior like that."

"Tch, I don't see what's there for you two to be so proud about," Oluo sneered, taking a swig of his beer, "that was nothing but childish."

"And that's why you were the second person to wake up on the canal," Eld comments, Gunther chuckling beside him.

"It reminds me of the prank you pulled back at Utgard," Levi said, recalling the memory.

"At Utgard?" Erwin asked.

"Oh yeah, while we were discussing battle strategies in your office," Levi started, "these jackasses got bored and thought it was a good idea to release some huge snake, they got from God knows where, into the men's dorm while they were asleep."

"But then, they were all asleep so we had to wake them up somehow," Eld continued explaining, "so, we slipped it into Oluo's bed."

"And then…" Petra urged.

"Then the next thing, Oluo starts yelling 'snake!' and then everyone else in the dorm wakes up and starts freaking out," he explained, occasionally chuckling as he spoke, "shit was crazy. People beating the hell out of each other, others running around butt naked… there was even this one guy that pissed himself."

"And what happened to Oluo?" Petra asked.

Eld and Gunther shared a look before the former burst into laughter with the latter chuckling along, leaving everyone but Oluo, confused.

"Oluo was the one that pissed himself," Gunther finally said, earning them a chorus of laughter from the whole group—minus Oluo of course, not leaving out Levi, who chuckled.

"Tch, I can't believe you all find that hilarious. That was something only a bunch of teenagers would do?" Oluo started, crossing his arms as he wore a scowl on his face, "I'll have you know that… ack!" he bit into his tongue.

"He still acts like this?" Levi asked Petra, keeping his eyes on Oluo. Back when he was still their Captain, the Oluo had a penchant for imitating him and it actually annoyed him. Sure, they say imitation is a form of flattery but when Oluo did it…

"He really missed you," Petra explained before sighing in what sounded like irritation, "we still couldn't get him to stop even after we parted ways. Heck, he tried to intimidate the Garrison recruits by acting like you but…"

"I get it," Levi responded, already knowing where the story was going.

"That must be why I found all the male soldiers asleep in the mess hall," Erwin said, clearly satisfied with having found out the story behind that mystery.

Even as the soldiers continued their chatter, filling their bodies with the countless beer towers they kept on ordering, Levi, however, hadn't taken a drink from the time he gave up trying to get drunk. It wasn't like he was bothered by it. He was actually in a pretty pleasant mood. He was surrounded by his old comrades again after such a long time. It felt good to be able to see them alive and well even after so many years.

But still, he felt dissatisfied.

"Are you okay?" he heard Petra's voice from beside him. It sounded concerned, as usual, and he could feel her wrap her hand around his arm.

"I'm fine," he responded, not bothering to look in her direction. He did, however, look in Miche's direction and noticed the large man raise an eyebrow at him.

In moments, Miche had already summoned a waitress, "I'd like to order some shots of your strongest liquor for my friend over there."

"Okay, coming right up," she said before walking off.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," Levi said to the blonde man while everyone else continued in their chatter.

"We're in a club yet you seem to have zero appetite for… the one thing that matters around here. Booze," Miche pointed out, his voice now slower as the alcohol had started to take effect.

"That's because the booze can't even do its job right," he responded, growing annoyed by the fact that he was practically the only sober person at the table.

"And that's why I've ordered something stronger for you," Miche said, knocking back the remainder in his glass before groaning, "…so lighten up."

"Whatever you say," Levi sighs, deciding to wait for whatever the waitress was going to bring him. Hopefully it wouldn't be as disappointing as the beer everyone else seemed to be hooked on. He then decided to pay attention to the conversation.

"You know," Eld started, taking a moment to look at everyone, "so many years have passed since I last saw you guys and yet you all seem the same. Like, did nothing new happen in your lives for you to still be the same?"

"We may still act the same because that's just who we are naturally but then, things about us have changed."

"Well, let's see... Erwin's become even boringer than he was before because he got divorced," Miche explained while the former Squad Levi members got surprised.

"Was that really necessary?" Erwin asked, looking not to pleased about the revelation.

"Hey, they wanted to know what has changed so I'm letting them know," Miche responded, not seeming to be aware of the man's serious tone.

"Well then what does me getting divorced have to do with me being boring?"

"Erwin, you stopped having sex because you wanted to focus more on the military," Miche answered, "due to the fact that that sort of excitement is no longer a part of your life, all that you think about it battle strategies... and meetings. I mean, can't you fool around once in a while. It gets annoying when you do something for a living and when you want to relax, someone comes to you and talks about it again."

Levi was as surprised as Erwin at the moment. Miche never talked as much as he was doing right now and it was sort of uncharacteristic of him. Well he was drunk so he couldn't blame him.

"I think I'll just pay attention to my beer, now," Erwin surrendered before downing his glass.

"Keep going Miche," Eld urged.

"Right," Miche said before looking at Nanaba, "if you thought Erwin was bad, you should get a load of Nanaba here. All she's become these passed years in a cranky spinster that nags like she's been married for years. Heck, she hasn't even moved out of her parents' house."

"And I take it, you think it's because I'm not having sex?" Nanaba raised her eyebrow at him.

"See, that's why I like you, Nan. You're a smart girl," Miche started, "the only thing that makes me question that is the fact that you keep on denying to become a part of the Zacharius family."

"I said it before and I'm going to keep on saying it. Three's a crowd, Miche," Nanaba responded, "and I have no interest in sharing a husband."

Petra was the one to speak, "wait... so you're saying that Miche's a..."

"Polygamist? yeah," Levi responded keeping his eyes on the blonde, "why don't you tell them what you've been up to, Miche?"

"Polygamist? tsk, don't say words like that. You're making it sound taboo or something," Miche dismissed, "so what if I've got more than one wife? my life's still pretty great. I mean, I manage a football team for a living. That's definitely better than spending my life sweeping for a living," he countered, shooting Levi a smirk.

_Fuck you, Zacharius. _

"Wait, who sweeps for a living?" Gunther asked, somewhat surprised by the news.

"Your old Captain over here's decided to spend his entire life sweeping and cooking for a living. Sure he's been having sex, considering the mini army he's built with the Mrs., but other than that, he's become just as boring at his best friend over here."

Levi sighed. Miche still hadn't gotten out of the habit of making fun of him about it. Well, he couldn't care less. Becoming a stay-at-home was decision and he had zero regrets about it. His kids were happy with him being around and so was Mikasa. That was all that mattered to him. Right now, he was hoping Miche would just pass out and wake up with a hangover that would make him quieter than he normally was by the time morning came.

"Hey, is it a crime for a guy to choose to look after his home and support his wife while she works her ass off to make ends meet?" Levi asked.

"See now, that's a man worth being with, Miche," Nanaba started, "someone who respects women and isn't just after sex. Honestly Levi, your wife is such a lucky woman."

"Thank you."

"Oh come on, who says I don't respect my wives?" Miche asked, "And for your information, I did not marry those women because of sex."

"Really," Erwin asked, "because that's not the message you're sending right now, Miche."

"Really Erwin?" Miche leaned closer to the other blonde, who didn't seem to be backing down.

_Shit, things are about to escalate._

"Hey Miche, you're not done," Levi started, "you haven't said anything about Hange yet." Levi, as much as everyone else, knew that a fight between giants like Erwin and Miche definitely wouldn't end well and he certainly wasn't in the mood to become some sort of referee. Besides, they came here to have a fun night, and leave happy, not with bloody noses. He was having a bad enough week as it was and he wasn't going to let it get worse because his drunk friends couldn't keep it together.

"Yeah, Hange and Moblit," Miche had suddenly forgotten his near fight with Erwin and was already back to his chipper mood, "well, Hange's become even more of a nerd. Leaving the military's only made her worse."

"I never thought it was possible but she even smells worse, now," Levi commented much to the brunette's dismay.

"And worst of all, she's even..."

"Before you accuse me of anything, I'll... have you know that I have... had sex b-before," Hange interjected, seeming to have predicted where the conversation was going.

"Really? when?" Levi asked, surprised by the revelation as he was starting to wonder who on earth had the bravery to bed the likes of Hange.

"Ah let me see..." she started, cupping her chin with her fingers in contemplation.

Everyone at the table was getting surprised at the idea that Hange could possibly have had multiple incidences.

"Oh yeah, there was that time Moblit and I were working in my room and..."

"No way!"

"What?" Hange asked, wondering why they all looked surprised.

_Moblit?_

Somehow, that hadn't surprised Levi one bit. The fact that it was with Moblit made sense. though he wasn't surprised, he found himself rather amused by how red Moblit's face had gotten. The poor man had been quiet the whole time. What did he do to deserve this embarrassment?

"When you come to think of it," Petra started, "It being Moblit actually makes a lot of sense. I mean, remember how much time they spent together working on projects on their own back in Paradis' Army? even when she left and Moblit followed her."

"Who would've thought that there was more to Hange and Moblit's relationship?" Erwin asked, somewhat amused by the revelation.

"Their projects must've been more involving than we thought," Miche teased.

"I can't blame the guy, honestly," Oluo started after putting down his glass, "I mean if I were forced to spend the rest of my life with Hange being the only available woman, I'd have no choice but to..."

"So wait, Hange," Nanaba started, obviously not caring about the fact that Oluo was still talking, "have things changed between you and Moblit after that?"

Hange glanced at Moblit for a moment before speaking, "well, we did try to start dating... but it just didn't work out," she explained, "we weren't just compatible for a relationship so we decided to maintain our relationship as good friends. Well, at least that's what I thought was best. I don't know about Moblit?"

Everyone turned to look at Moblit and somehow, Oluo was still ranting. Away from that, the pressure was on Moblit to answer.

"Well, honestly. I still thought there was a possibility of it working, but of course it couldn't work if only one of us felt that way so I just agreed to it," Moblit explained, keeping a surprisingly calm demeanor.

"But you still want to bone her don't you?" Eld asked.

"Uh..."

"Hey... enough about my... or Moblit's sex life " Hange started. She had now set her glasses on her forehead, "you know who really needs some sex?" she asked, sloshing the drink in her glass as she spoke, "that bitch… Rico!"

"Hange, we're all close to you. There's no need for you to shout" Moblit spoke up, trying to calm his leader.

Nearly everyone on the table groaned in annoyance at the mention of Rico's name. Even Levi. He'd almost forgotten about the short woman who seemed to have a problem keeping her mouth shut. He couldn't remember the last time he saw such a blunt woman… no wait. There's Mikasa and Annie, they were in that breed.

"Ugh, I seriously hate that woman," Eld sighed, "she was always giving us crap about our training methods."

"She called my plans ridiculous!" Hange shouted again, "who the hell does she think she is?"

"I agree with you on that, Hange," Miche said, downing a glass of alcohol, "she doesn't need sex. She needs to be fucking raped."

"Watch it! Rape is a sensitive topic," Nanaba snapped at the large man, the other woman making sounds of agreement, "you can't just say stuff like that."

"Geez… sorry whatever but it's just facts," Miche continued, "she needs to be banged so hard those ridiculous eyebrows of hers fall off."

"Leave her eyebrows out of this, Miche."

"Come on guys. Though I agree she acts like she's always on her period," Petra started, "she's a pretty decent person once you get to know her."

"Face it Petra," Oluo sneered taking a swig of his beer, "your partner's a huge bi…ack!" he bit is tongue again.

"You should've thought twice before opening your mouth, idiot," Petra said, her tone cold as she gave him a serious look.

"Order up…" a waitress said as she came with a tray holding six shot glasses. Each filled with a clear liquid.

"Thanks," Miche said before the waitress walked off. He then passed the tray to Levi, "there, try this. Maybe you'll get the buzz you've been looking for."

Levi looked down at the tray. A hundred-percent skeptical that it would even make him dizzy for a second.

_This is pointless._

He was about to just give up on trying but he thought again. What if this was going to get him drunk? He didn't know for sure and he did know that the only way he would find out work was if he did drink it. Oh well…

_You never know unless you try, right?_

Levi reached out and pulled a small glass from the tray, looking at the sparkling liquid that had the potential to be the answer to his problems tonight.

With that, he took the shot, groaning as he felt the liquid burn his throat.

_Shit, that's strong!_

"So… feeling anything?" he heard Miche's voice call out to him. He was still trying to let the alcohol into his system and once again he felt it. His heart slowing, his breathing deepening. It was actually starting to work.

In a few seconds the sensations had started to fade as quickly as they'd come, leaving Levi once again, sober.

"Shit," he groaned as he leaned back into the chair.

"Still nothing?" Erwin asked, giving his friend a sympathetic look before looking at Miche, "at least you tried."

"Hey, something like this shouldn't ruin your night," Petra said from beside him.

_Tch, you wouldn't understand._

Soon, all the attention shifted away from Levi's inability to get intoxicated and was back to telling each other stories. Some about the former squad Levi training the ridiculous band of trainees to the time Miche tried to get his daughter a shotgun for her sixth birthday and his adventures with Nanaba in Fort Rose. Hange's occasional drunken titan rants while Moblit reprimanded her. Oluo's attempts to boast that ended with him biting his tongue.

Buzz… Buzz… Levi felt the vibrations from his pocket and pulled out his phone to check who was calling.

_Mikasa?_

Though, he noticed Petra's eyes lingering on his screen, Levi brushed it off and stood up, "I gotta take a call," he said before walking away from the group and into one of the hallways. Where the music was well obstructed.

He leaned against the wall and brought the phone to his ear while his other hand rested in his pocket.

**Levi: Mikasa?**

**Mikasa: Hello Levi. I hope I'm not interrupting you or anything?**

Her voice wasn't the way it normally was. Her voice had its usual plain tone to it but he easily detected some sort of uneasiness. She only spoke like that when something was wrong. Though… this time it was most likely due to guilt.

**Levi: No… Is everything okay? **

He heard her sigh over the phone.

**Mikasa: Yeah… it is. I just wanted to find out… if you were coming back any time soon.**

**Levi: Well… not exactly but if you need me I can-**

**Mikasa: No! No… it's fine. You don't have to leave early. It's fine, we can talk tomorrow.**

**Levi: …You sure?**

**Mikasa: Yes, I'm sure. You just try to have fun with everyone else.**

**Levi: …Okay.**

**Mikasa: …Great. Well… bye.**

**Levi: bye.**

Levi brought the phone away from his ear as soon as the line hung up. that was the most awkward phone call he'd ever been on. He really wasn't comfortable with the way Mikasa had been acting and he couldn't blame anyone but himself. He was the one who blew up and walked out on her the other night. She must've become scared of upsetting him.

_Tch, great. Now my own wife's afraid of me. _

Levi finally remembered what his plan was. To get drunk so he'd be able to talk to Mikasa without being a grumpy asshole. He was going to get drunk whether he liked it or not. He just needed to keep drinking. Even if it took twenty shots. He was going to do it.

_Let's do this._

Finally feeling encouraged, Levi stepped back into the room and he was met with the loud blaring of speakers as he heard the lyrics to a song he hadn't heard in years.

_Devote! Devote!_

_Devote your hearts!_

_All our sacrifices were for this moment_

_Devote! Devote!_

_Devote your hearts!_

_Clear a path with our own hands, to the future we need tread…_

He remembered the song immediately. The soldiers back in the army used to play it after a long and exhausting day during the battles against Marley. Everyone all bruised up and battered, the survivors grateful to have lived another day, trying their best not to cower in fear of another day. It was this song that reminded them why they were fighting and always brought back the energy in them.

Heck, Erwin even made it the Survey Corps' motto.

Levi felt the corners of his mouth twitch into but he kept his face straight. He couldn't deny it. It was a pretty good song. Very catchy.

When he turned to look at the booth where he left everyone else. His jaw nearly dropped.

Everyone was singing along to the song, saluting while looking up at Hange who was waving her survey Corps jumper like a flag, the Wings of Freedom on display.

_I leave for one second…_

Deciding that he didn't want to be seen as part of that mess. He decided to stand back and watch them get at it, drunkenly singing along to the fast-paced rock. He couldn't tell what looked more ridiculous, the fact that a bunch of grown ass soldiers, some of them with kids, were singing along to some oldies song or the serious look on Hange's face as she waved the jumper.

When he thought about it, he just realised, Hange could've possible knocked the shots over when she got onto the table.

_Dammit Shitty Glasses._

He grunted as he approached the group, now more concerned about his alcohol than being seen with those basket cases.

_Devote! Devote!_

_Devote your hearts!_

_Define with your own selves, the trail we need trail…_

"Thank goodness its done," he said to himself when he arrived at the table, everyone starting to settle down while the rest of the club surprisingly burst into applause.

"I guess… I guess we put on quite a show," Erwin sighed as Levi made his way over to his seat.

"The whole club was literally watching you," Levi said as he sat down, "how does this club even have that song anyway? It was released way before Junior was born."

"The DJ streamed it," Miche responded, motioning towards the booth where the DJ spoke to a few people.

"I see…" Levi nodded before shifting his gaze to the table, looking at the shot glasses still waiting for him. He reached out of for one and brought it to his face, looking at the sparkling liquid with determination brewing within him.

_Even if it takes twenty._

He took the shot and groaned as he felt the bitter liquid burn his throat. He closed his eyes again, trying to focus on letting the alcohol sink in.

The feeling came again and this time it was much stronger than it was the first time. He opened his eyes and found the room looking fuzzy. This time, the feeling didn't go anywhere.

"Uh…," he groaned in satisfaction as the alcohol had started to do its job.

"It's… finally kicking in huh?" Miche asked, having noticed Levi's change in demeanour.

"Yeah…" Levi said as he reached over for another one, downing it as quickly as he did the other one and he closed his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows as the alcohol's effect got stronger. He could feel his head start to pound and gritted his teeth together.

_This is strong._

"You okay?" he heard Petra's voice ask.

Levi opened his eyes and looked down at her. If he were being honest, he wasn't okay. He could barely see her face and he had a splitting headache. But then, that was what he wanted right.

"I'm fine," he nodded, "don't worry."

"Well then ladies and gentlemen," Erwin started, rising from his seat, his cheeks slightly blushing due to the alcohol's effect, "I think it's about time we hit the dancefloor and… get jiggy with it."

"Get jiggy with it?" Miche asked as everyone at the table gave him a confused look, "Erwin, this ain't the nineties any more."

"Let's just go before he starts saying even stupider shit," Levi said, also rising—albeit with great difficulty—from his seat.

Soon, all the vets followed Erwin onto the dancefloor, their night of madness only beginning.

* * *

"Where the hell are they?" Doug asked himself. Somehow he still hadn't managed to locate Annie and the rest and it had been over an hour. One thing he knew was that Annie wasn't going to let him off the hook and would probably give him all kinds of hell.

_Ugh…_

"Doug," he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Reiner?" he asked as he followed the voice and found the blonde man looking at him.

"Where the hell were you?" he asked, looking somewhat annoyed.

"I got lost. I couldn't find you guys," Doug explained before asking, "Is she pissed?"

Reiner nodded, raising his eyebrow, "Oh she's pissed alright."

"Shit," he mumbled, already acknowledging how much trouble he was in.

"…but she won't do anything to you. Don't worry," he said before giving him a pat on the back.

"I highly doubt that."

"No, I'm being serious," Reiner responded before turning, "now come on. You don't want to be later than you already are."

"Sure," Doug said before following the older man wherever he was taking him.

A brief walk later, Doug and Reiner finally arrived at a booth where Bertholdt and Annie sat, alongside some man he didn't know.

"It turns out he actually did get lost," Reiner said as they approached the table, Doug trailing behind him.

Doug had to admit, he felt relieved when he noticed Bertholdt's soft gaze on him but the relief immediately left as soon as he noticed Annie's eyes on him, cold as ever.

"Hey guys," he greeted as he took a seat next to the blonde woman.

"Hey," Bertholdt greeted.

After things had settled down, it was time for their meeting to begin.

"So this is Doug, huh?" The man asked in a gruff voice, looking in Doug's direction.

Doug felt himself grow uneasy as he took a closer look at the man. He was in a black trench coat over a pair of black pants and wore a Fedora hat, tilted so most of his face was obscured. Why was this shady looking man interested in him?

"Yes, it's him," Annie was the one to respond.

The man nodded before speaking, "well, the sooner we get this over with, the better," he started before lowering his tone, "how's your mission going so far? You found anything yet?"

"We've already found the target," Reiner answered.

"Really?" the man asked, tilting his head up so his face was revealed. He appeared to be a much older man than he carried himself to be, "who?"

"Doug," Annie called, shooting him a look that he immediately understood.

_Oh well…_

Doug sighed. The time he hoped would never come had finally arrived. After finally being able to have fun, to make friends, to get a girlfriend, to loosen up and enjoy life, things just had to come to an end.

The life he once escaped was coming back for him. The life devoid of smiles and happiness, devoid of delicious food and crazy pranks, devoid of his friends. It was coming back for him. The life that was dull and empty, only fighting for a purpose. A purpose he never even cared for. A purpose imposed upon him by the world he was born into.

"Doug, we don't have all night," Annie's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "he has to go back soon so quit wasting his time."

"Right. Sorry," he gulped as he tried to gather his thoughts. He was about to betray his own friends, his own girlfriend even after she trusted him with what was probably the biggest secret of her life.

"Her name…" Doug started, his entire being cursing him for what he was about to do, "Her name's Irene Smith."

"Irene…" the man repeated before leaning in, "so have you…"

"No. He's not ready," Annie spoke, snapping the man's attention away from Doug to her.

"What do you mean he's not ready?" the man asked.

"Exactly that," Annie started, her face straight, "he's not ready."

"Well… when the hell is he going to be ready?" the man asked, sounding somewhat impatient.

"When he finally decides to get serious," Annie spoke, shooting him a glare, "at this point he's too much of an idiot to even differentiate left from right."

_Not true. I know my left and right pretty well._

Doug sighed to himself before muttering, "that's not true."

"If that's the case," the man started, "then I'll leave you to it," he said, taking a sip of the beer that was on the table, "But you should know that he's already been enlisted to locate the target, Irene. You need to get your shit together."

Alongside everyone else in the booth, Doug became tense, knowing exactly who 'he' was.

"I can't believe he's already been sent," Reiner said, eyes widened with an expression bordering both fear and anger, "don't they trust us?"

"Honestly, Reiner," Bertholdt spoke, "I'm not surprised. I mean… we've taken over a year."

"I know, Bert but…" Reiner spoke, "they gave us that time and… really. You know what it means if he completes the job before we do."

_No, please not this._

Doug had already entered some sort of panic mode while Reiner and Bertholdt spoke. His hands were trembling and his breathing hitched. Not this of all things. Maybe he really shouldn't have been an idiot and focused on training like Annie had wanted him to. Here he was, panicking because he wasn't ready. Because he decided to goof off responsibilities. They were going to be in some serious trouble and it was all his fault.

_All my fault._

Doug sighed as he panicked. Bert and Reiner were still talking and it wasn't helping him feel any better. He found himself turning to his side, finding Annie looking up at him with an undiscernible look in her eyes. He only managed to breathe out…

"Annie?"

He watched as the woman crossed her arms and shifted her eyes away from him, muttering something understandable by only her and her alone.

"Enough, you two," she spoke, snapping the men out of their conversation, "this is not the time for that."

"Well then what do you suppose we do, Annie?" Reiner asked, "they've fucking sent him and if he gets to Irene before we do, we're goners."

"Well sitting here whining about it won't help," she responded.

"Well then what should we do?"

"We act," she started, "we get to work as soon as we can so we can complete the objective before him. I don't know how soon it'll be but we just have to get the job done when we can."

"That sounds fair enough," Reiner sighed crossing his arms.

"Fair it is but only on one condition," she started before shifting her gaze back to Doug, "we can only get the job done if you cooperate and do what you're supposed to," she continued before lifting a hand to place it on his shoulder, "Will you do it?"

Doug couldn't deny the pressure he felt building within him. It felt like the fate of everyone at the booth rested on his shoulders and technically, it did. Whether or not he was able to complete the objective was the determining factors of their future and he wanted to have a future. A future with Reiner, Bertholdt and especially Annie. He wanted his old life with her back. Peacefully living with her and her father back in the woods like they used to.

He felt determination begin to overtake the fear that had set him on edge. He was going to do it. He was going to do his job right this time. No goofing off or crashing picnics or even dozing off against a tree with his girlfriend.

_His girlfriend._

The target they were after is his girlfriend, Irene. He cared about her, he really did and he knew she cared about him too. She made him smile and feel loved even when no one ever did. Yet here he was after her.

_I'm sorry Irene but I just have to do this._

Doug snapped out of his thoughts and looked around the booth. Everyone was staring at him, waiting for his response and he'd made his decision. He nodded.

"I'll do it."

"That's good," Annie nodded before looking back at the man, "If you three don't mind, I need to have a little chat with our guest."

Doug reclined into his seat, "Uh sure… go ahead."

"In private."

"Oh…"

**Hey guys. Thanks for reading this chapter. I'll admit that writer's block hit me hard, especially with the Veterans so I took days to work on this chapter but I finally managed, with the help of a friend. I apologize if it's not the best chapter but I hope you enjoyed it either way. I'm still looking forward to hearing what ya'll have to say so please don't be afraid to pour it all out. I'm willing to hear from you. I hope you enjoyed finally seeing through Doug's eyes and seeing the drunk vets have their time. Anyways, this is a double update so I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys, welcome to yet another chapter of HSF. This is the second part of the triple update and I hope the previous chapter kept you hooked. I thank all of you for making it so far and I encourage and hope you guys will continue to stick with his story. Though, I admit that writing this is becoming a bit difficult because you know… trying to fill up some plot holes here and there but otherwise the story has a destination so don't worry about it too much. Anyways, enough about me. Let's get into this chapter.**

"Please!"

Mikasa gasped as she sat up, panting heavily as her eyes darted around the room.

"It was just a dream," she whispered to herself as she realised that she was on a bed, and not standing at the door of her house back in New Sina Town. She looked downwards and found that she was tightly gripping the comforters in her hands and not Levi's wrist.

She shook her head and brought her hands up to her face, wiping away the tears that had formed around her eyes.

_At least none of that was real._

"Are you okay?" she heard Levi's voice from beside her and looked down to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she sighed in response, "it was just a nightmare."

"That must've been some nightmare," Levi responded before folding his arms behind his head, "because you were crying in your sleep mumbling shit I couldn't understand. Mind telling me what it was about?"

Mikasa froze up as she remembered the events that occurred within her dream. The yelling, the sound of doors slamming, the look on his face.

"_That's it, Mikasa. I'm fucking done. I'm fucking done with you and your shit, and I'm fucking done with us!"_

"_Wait! where are you going?"_

"_As far away as I can get from you!"_

"_Levi, please… there has to be another way. You don't have to leave."_

"_Tch, tell the kids I said goodnight."_

_Slam!_

Mikasa shook her head, clamping her eyes shut as a handful of tears rolled down her cheeks. It was just too much. She didn't want to think about it and she certainly didn't want to talk about it, "Levi… I'm sorry but I can't talk about it."

"Now I'm getting worried," he said before he sat up so he was level with her, "are you sure you can't talk about it? I mean… it's your dream to keep to yourself if you want, but if there's something bothering you, I'm here."

Mikasa couldn't help but feel her chest tighten when she looked into his eyes. She could tell that he was genuinely concerned about her and that only made her feel even worse.

_Please don't look at me like that._

Even after that dispute, even after she felt like she took advantage of him, even after he did pour out his feelings to her and she did nothing but question him to the point where he just blew up at her and stormed out of the room. He was here, looking right at her with concern written all over his face because he wanted to be there for her, to provide her with whatever comfort she needed and she didn't even do as much as apologize for wronging him.

"Levi, don't worry about it. It was just a dream," she said, forcing a smile across her lips as she looked at him, "I'll get over it in no time."

When Mikasa looked at his facial expression it was clear that he wasn't buying it. she sighed, acknowledging that there was no fooling him and decided to change the topic, "How was your night?"

The two sat in silence for a moment, somewhat engaged in a little staring contest which was—at this point—their method of reading each other. Mikasa silently prayed that he would somehow brush it off and talk about other things like his night out instead of forcing her to talk about her nightmares when she was still struggling to come to terms with herself.

"It was exhausting," Levi groaned after what seemed like a few minutes before lying back down to rest in his original position, shifting his gaze from her to the ceiling.

"Really? What happened?" Mikasa asked, curious as to what could've made the previous night so exhausting. Though… when she thought about it, Levi could just be complaining because it was just characteristic of him.

"We all got wasted, Erwin forced us to hit the dance floor and immediately ran off to pick up women with Miche, stupid shitty glasses started running all over the place telling random people about titans. Nanaba... she started telling some bartender about her daddy issues."

Mikasa shook her head. None of those were valid enough reasons for him to be exhausted. He was just being classic Levi and complaining, probably because he managed to get wasted too. Still, there was something she just had to ask about.

"Erwin was picking up women?"

"Yeah, last I saw of him, he walked out of the club with some woman," he explained.

"Well, at least he's finally decided to move on."

"Yeah, and I bet you she's a mom."

"Erwin does look like the step-dad type," Mikasa commented, somewhat smiling at the fact that she could very easily imagine him in the position of step-dad to a bunch of rowdy kids running all over the place while he desperately tried to get them to calm down. Or... knowing Erwin, he'd probably just say a word and everything would be in order.

"That's exactly what I told him."

"Of course it was," Mikasa shook her head before lying back down right next to him, "say, how's the old Levi squad doing? Are they happy about being replaced?"

"they're all doing alright. Eld and Gunther are still jackasses, it looks like Petra's still Petra and Oluo's still a massive pain in the ass," Levi started, "and I forgot to tell them they've been replaced."

"At least they're still okay," Mikasa sighed as she found herself starting to relax once again, the nightmare's effect had seemed to wear off, her eyelids had started to get heavier and heavier every passing second.

"Hey Mikasa."

"Yeah?" Mikasa's eyes fluttered open at the sound of Levi's voice calling out to her.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"What are you talking about?" Mikasa had shifted next to him, albeit much closer than they were before.

Levi then shifted his eyes to meet hers, "you know what I'm talking about. The knife, Daniel, Petra… everything that happened that day."

For a moment, Mikasa stayed silent as thoughts ran through her mind, the memories of their fight were still as fresh as ever considering how recent they were. Everything from seeing Dean's leg covered in blood to Daniel's confession and then her attempting to beat the shit out of Levi and…

"…I'm a lot of things, Levi. I'm hurt, confused, disappointed, frustrated, worried, even guilty but…" she started, sighing as she let the thoughts run through her head once again, "…I'm not mad at you." She couldn't be. Not when she had been the one to create such a big scene and hurt his feelings without so much as sparing a minute to listen to him. If anything, the only person she could be mad at was herself.

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better are you?"

"No, I'm not," she shook her head before asking, "though I'm not mad at you, I need to know why you did it in the first place."

"Right…" Levi sighed before explaining, "Mikasa, you—more than anyone else I know—know that the world is cruel and it has always been to people like us."

_Huh?_

Levi seemed to have noticed her confusion and rolled his eyes, "Relax, let me finish," he said when he saw her open her mouth to question him, "Mikasa, you watched your parents' lives get taken before your very eyes at a young age and you couldn't do anything but sit quietly until Eren came in and saved your life. I watched my mother slowly die before my eyes from some fucking STD I had no idea about and sat there until Kenny stepped in and saved my ass from fucking starving to death."

"Levi, yes. I know all of that but…" Mikasa started, wondering why he was bringing that, of all topics, up, "what does that have to do with anything."

"Mikasa, we lost our parents because we were weak. We couldn't do anything to help them. We couldn't do anything to protect ourselves and those around us. We just sat there and waited to die alongside them until someone had to step in to protect us."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that the kids could find themselves in the same situation."

"N-No Levi don't talk like that," Mikasa stopped him. she had never allowed herself to indulge thoughts of such nature and still never intended to. There was no way she'd allow any opportunity for any harm to come to her kids and she knew, for a fact, that Levi had the same mind-set, "There's no way anything like that could happen to them, especially when we're more than capable of protecting them."

"I can't blame you for thinking like that because I thought like that too, but then these titans showed up and mentally scarred Marie to the point where she practically went mute. The twins were almost murdered by some bat-shit crazy shop-keeper and Junior, Junior almost got his ass eaten by a titan and cried about it," Levi explained, "our kids got hurt despite us being able to protect them. Mikasa, we can't just sit back and depend on ourselves to do everything for them"

"Is that why you started training Daniel?" Mikasa asked to which he nodded.

"Yes. I trained him to make sure he would be able to protect himself and the others when the time came. I trained him to not be that kid that sits back and waits to die. I trained him not to be the kid that we were," he said before letting out a sigh and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Mikasa, whether or not we're the strongest people in this goddam city, one thing that'll never change is that we're only human and as fucked up as it sounds, there's nothing stopping what happened to our parents from happening to us."

Mikasa closed her eyes as she let the words sink in. Levi was right, in spite of their abilities, both she and her husband were only human and were not above nature. Be it injury, disease, or even death. They were just a susceptible it as any average Joe. His decision to train Daniel was a smart and worthwhile call because he was doing what the both of them try their best to do. Protecting their kids.

"…I guess you're right," she opened her eyes to meet his again. Now that she had come to a full understanding of the situation, she could do nothing but regret her actions towards him even more. For some reason, she had a hard time keeping eye contact with him and decided to shift her gaze to the ceiling, only being able to see him through the corner of her eye. It was after she did that that she spoke. "Levi… I'm sorry for the way I treated you that day." She hoped that her sincerity was as evident in her voice as it was in her heart because she really did feel bad about what she did.

"You better be, because that slap hurt like a bitch."

_What the!_

Mikasa looked back at him and to her surprise, he was smiling at her. She started to feel the corners of her mouth twitch upwards and soon she was smiling back at him. she glanced at the offending hand and quirked her eyebrow, "oh did it?"

"Woman, you nearly knocked out a tooth," Levi responded bringing his hand to rest on his cheek, "I mean, there I was, waiting for you to get all attractive and start yelling but shit, you literally went ham on me. I can't believe I forgot I was married to a fucking Bruce Lee incarnate."

"Oh my gosh Levi, you're saying it like it was funny or something," Mikasa shook her head, somehow finding humour in his story. She then decided to point out a particular detail, "You think I'm attractive when I'm angry?"

"Mikasa, the way you get when you're angry. The look in your eyes, the tone of your voice, looking at those lips, all of that just gets me… you just don't know the effect you have on me when you get like that."

Mikasa felt the blood rushing to her cheeks and she knew, for a fact, that she was blushing. She never realised that she had that sort of 'effect' on her husband whenever she blew up at him. Sure, hearing that was flattering but, Mikasa was starting to question whether or not he ever took her seriously, "Levi, does this mean that you never take me seriously when I'm angry?" she asked before another question popped into her mind, "Also… does it mean that I'm less attractive when I'm smiling?"

She couldn't deny that her pride took a blow from asking the final question, but she just had to know if her husband preferred her more in specific circumstances. She could feel herself going self-conscious under Levi's gaze. This was one of the moments when Levi was completely unreadable and not knowing what he was thinking was starting to drive her crazy.

_What the hell are you even thinking about? Just answer my question!_

"Hmph, what are you so worried about?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow as he now smirked at her.

_Of course he has no problem reading me._

"…Just answer my question, will you?"

"As you wish Mrs. Ackerman," he nodded, "though… I'm not sure which question you want me to answer."

"Tsk, Levi you know what I mean," Mikasa shot him a glare.

"Ah… those eyes," he said, still smirking at her and his smirk got bigger when he noticed her cheeks become a deeper shade of red than they already were.

"Ugh, Levi!"

"Okay relax," his voice came out with a sort of chuckle. He then shifted in his position until he was facing her directly and not just watching her from the side, "for your first question, It's not every time that I check you out when you're angry. It depends on how angry you become. I know you even better than yourself and I can tell you that I know when you're moody, when you're just being a bitch and when you're seriously pissed," he started, "When you're seriously pissed, the only thing on my mind is getting you to calm the hell down so I can figure out what's going on. When you're bitchy or moody, I think of calming you down…but of course I make sure to enjoy the feistiness while I can."

"Bitchy?" Mikasa raised her eyebrow. Sure, she knew that she could be a bit of work when she was in a bit of a sour mood but…

Bitchy?

"And for the second question…"

Mikasa snapped back to attention at the mention of the second question.

"Mikasa. I think you're hot when you're angry, but when you're smiling…" he started before bringing his hand to cup her cheek, turning her head to face him before locking his eyes with hers as he leaned in and stopped when their faces were mere inches apart.

"…you're absolutely beautiful."

"You're just flattering me," Mikasa responded, her facing having become a deeper shade of red. The look he was giving her wasn't one of desire or anything of that nature. Instead it was one of a more sincere nature. One that showed love.

Without even realising it, Mikasa had already leaned in to close the already miniscule distance between them.

"Oh… Jeez," Mikasa gagged after pulling away when barely a second had passed, "…sorry Levi but your breath smells so terrible I can taste it."

"It's probably all the booze from yesterday," he said before moving his hand from her cheek to rest on her waist. He suddenly took on a more serious facial expression, "I'm sorry for going behind you back when deciding to train Daniel."

"You don't have to apologize, Levi," Mikasa shook her head, "you did it because you knew I was going to blow a fuse when I found out and I did."

"But still, we're married and one of the foundations of this very marriage is trust," Levi responded, "I shouldn't have gone behind your back especially when it concerned the safety of our—not my—but our brats."

In as much as she wanted to put insist that she was in the wrong, Mikasa knew that what he was saying was the truth and decided not to argue, "Okay, apology accepted."

"Good, so you're not still feeling guilty right?"

"No… No not really," she shook her head. The guilt that initially tormented her seemed to have calmed down. She wasn't sure if the nightmares would finally leave her alone because whether or not they had apologised to each other, she didn't feel like she was completely off the hook. But then, she did feel like trying to find a way to avoid making the same mistake and she knew only one day to do it.

"Levi, I trust you."

"I trust you too."

"Good. Then let's make some couple resolves," Mikasa suggested, noticing her husband giving her a curious stare.

"Mikasa, the year's nearly over."

"It doesn't have to be at the beginning of the year for us to make some promises," Mikasa clarified but ended up sighing when her husband's expression hadn't changed, "okay look. Let me go first," she offered and continued after he nodded, "from now on, we will never blow up at each other in front of the kids," she started, hoping her example would be good with Levi, "is that okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now you say one."

"…Sure," Levi responded, "from now on, we will never go behind each other's backs again."

"That's fine," Mikasa nodded before thinking up another one, "from now on, we will never say or do any hurtful things that could embarrass or hurt each other especially when in public."

"That's fine with me," Levi responded.

"From now on, we will never hide anything from each other," Mikasa offered. Considering the fact that they had acknowledged the trust they had for each other, she thought it would be best if they were comfortable with telling each other what was going on.

"Levi?" Mikasa asked when she hadn't received a response. For some reason, Levi looked slightly uneasy from her point of view, "is everything okay?"

"… yeah."

Something was off. He never hesitated like that unless… unless, "Levi, are you hiding something from me?"

"No," he shook his head, "I was just wondering if it meant I was supposed to tell you everything. Like… whenever I went to take a shit or something."

"hmph, are you embarrassed about that?" Mikasa quirked her eyebrow at him as an attempt to tease him. "Don't worry, you can keep whatever happens when you're in the bathroom to yourself."

"Good, whatever. Now can we get back to sleep?" Levi asked as he rolled onto his back, "I got here only three hours ago."

"Levi, it's 5AM," Mikasa answered to which her husband groaned in response. Maybe he really was exhausted after all, "Okay look," she started, reaching out to rest her hand on his chest, "I go take a shower and then wake you up when I'm done. That way, you'll have a bit more time to rest."

"Sounds good."

"Great," she said before patting his chest and rolling over to her side to get off the bed.

She allowed herself to do a few stretches before she started to make her way across the room, over to the bathroom.

Before she could enter the bathroom, she noticed a trail of clothes sprawled on the floor right next to the laundry basket Levi made sure to purchase. As a matter of fact, those were Levi's clothes on the floor which was rather shocking.

_He must've really been tired if he left his clothes all over the floor like that_

"Well, points for trying," she muttered to herself as she decided to walk over to the clothes to place them into the basket.

She managed to collect the clothes in a bundle and her nose was immediately hit with a strong scent. It was a mixture of cologne, alcohol and

_Perfume?_

Mikasa dropped the clothes into the basket and stared at them wide-eyed as though they had just offended her. She expected the clothes to smell like his cologne, she wasn't surprised that they smelt like alcohol because he was out drinking but perfume. She certainly didn't expect that of all things.

_Is it possible that he's?_

"No," she shook her head as she had brought her hands together, running her right thumb along the metal of the ring on her finger. No, it wasn't possible. He'd never do anything like that to her. Perhaps she's just smelling her own perfume. Then again, that perfume smelt nothing like the one she normally wore.

She shifted her eyes from the clothes to the bed where her husband rested with his forearm covering his face. She was contemplating asking him why on earth his clothes smelt like another woman, but then… She could just be worrying too much. They were in a night club so it was possible he must've gotten it from some nearby woman on the dance floor. That must've been it.

_I'm worrying too much._

Suddenly, the memory of his face when she insisted that they never hide anything from each other ran through her mind. There was something off about his slow response. Perhaps his concerns weren't exclusively about the toilet. Perhaps she shouldn't have brushed it off so easily.

_Please Levi. Don't break my trust._

**Hey readers. Thanks so much for reading this chapter. I hope ya'll enjoyed this. Trust me, facing writer's block has really slowed me down, but I hope this chapter was still pretty good. You know, this chapter was initially meant to be much longer but I felt the events of this scene were enough for a single chapter. That's why I've decided to turn it into a triple update. I'll apologize for being late and all again. I just had a hard time.**

**Anyways, I'd love to know what ya'll thought of the chapter because reading your thoughts is one of my favourite things about writing. So please guys, don't be shy. I don't bite.**

**But Yeah, let's stop stalling. Let's head over to the next chapter.**

**Bye!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey Guys! Here's another chapter of HSF. The final part of this triple update and the beginning of a major part of the plot I have for this story. I hope ya'll enjoyed what you read in the last chapter and are psyched for this one. I think I'll save most of my A/N for the bottom so you'll hear from me at the end of the so sit back and enjoy this chapter.**

"Man, the food here brings the crap we were fed back at Fort Maria to shame," Eren said as he took a bite of the sandwich on his plate.

"It's better than plain old oats," Armin responded as he equally took a bite out of his own sandwich.

"Come on Armin," Eren urged, "it's not just better than plain old oats. These sandwiches are like on a completely different level, right guys?"

"They sure are," Connie answered from where he sat opposite Eren. He then looked beside him to where his wife sat, "Right Sasha?"

"Mhm…" the brunette woman nodded with her eyes closed, "I hope this is the kind of food the kids are being fed over at that children's home," she said before she brought her hand to cup her chin and now looked like she was thinking, "Or maybe they're being fed even better food. Man, I'm getting jealous."

"Whoa Sasha, it's better that the kids are being fed better, don't you think?" Connie asked the woman.

"It is, but just try and imagine the types of meals they're eating. Probably better sandwiches, maybe they even have snacks and let's not forget to mention meat. Oh… the meat," she started to drone on.

"I think the sandwiches are alright," Historia answered from her seat next to Eren while Sasha continued droning on about food. She then looked over at Mikasa, "how about you, Mikasa? What do you think of the sandwiches?"

"They're okay," Mikasa shrugged impassively. Sure, the sandwiches were definitely better than the semi-cooked oats they'd be served back at Fort Maria but that was pretty much it. The food was just okay.

"See, Eren? they're no big deal," Armin looked over at the brunette, "even Mikasa thinks so."

"You guys are just boring," Eren mumbled, "I just need one more opinion to prove it to you."

"These sandwiches are shit," a female voice responded before the sound of a plate clanking onto a table.

"Not the opinion I was hoping for," Eren grumbled between gritted teeth.

"Hey everyone, I hope I'm not late," Ymir said as she forced herself between Historia and Eren, throwing her arm around the former after putting down her plate.

"We actually wish you were here later," Eren mumbled again.

This was how Mikasa normally ate her meals. She'd sit with Armin, the Jaegers and the Springers. Ymir often joined from time to time, not failing to get on Eren's nerves every time. How did they end up sitting together? Well, it happened at a time when they were still trainees and she 'd still eat with just Armin and the Jaegers.

It was at a time when they were having dinner and meat was being served. Everything was going great until Sasha came out of nowhere and grabbed Eren's meat from his plate and when Eren, being the fighter he is, tried to grab it back, Sasha tried to toss it to Connie, who didn't catch it and thus the meat hit onto Jean, who thought it was Eren that threw it and threw it back and thus, a food fight began.

In the midst of the food-fight, good old Captain Levi stepped in and caught them in the act. A few minutes of profanities later and they were all forced to clean the entire cafeteria until he could see his reflection on nearly every surface. A long night of cleaning and goofing off later, here they were, having breakfast together like old friends.

As for Ymir, it was more of a 'where Historia goes, Ymir goes.'

"So Ymir, does that mean you're not going finish your sandwich?" Sasha asked, keeping her eyes on the meal that was just sitting on the plate, seemingly untouched.

"Here, you can have it," Ymir pushed the plate to Sasha.

"Yahoo," she celebrated at she began to feast on the food.

"Sometimes I wonder where you people get your spouses," Ymir started, "I mean Historia found herself with Captain hot-head here, Connie found himself with a bottomless pit of hunger and Bruce Leah over here's married to the Grinch of all seasons. I mean guys, where the hell do you all find these people?"

"Oh cut it out, will yah?" Historia scolded the taller woman, "Eren's actually a really sweet guy and Sasha's a really nice person."

"Okay whatever," Ymir rolled her eyes before looking over at Mikasa, "what about Captain Wet Blanket?"

"He's a really nice person too, once you get to know him… I bet?" Historia defended but looked over at Mikasa for confirmation.

"Mhm," she shrugged in response.

"Okay, okay Historia I get it. But I still gotta ask," Ymir shifted her attention back to Mikasa, "why is it that your husband never eats with us? I mean, Eren and his wife are always here, Connie and Sasha are always here so it'd be expected that Mr. Ackerman were here, ain't it?"

"Oh yeah," Sasha started, "I've always wondered the same thing. He rarely ever comes to eat and even when he does, he never even does so much as say hello."

Mikasa felt herself growing a bit uncomfortable now that there was a lot of attention on her. She had never bothered to think of that as she never really paid attention to it. She never expected someone like Levi to ever decided to hang around the people she considered peers unless at a family gathering or another event. Still, everyone expected an answer and she knew the only way she'd get out of this situation was if she gave them what they wanted.

"He's a commanding officer so he sits with other commanding officers."

"But I've witnessed Section Commander Hange sit with regular scouts before," Connie responded.

"Section Commander Hange is friendlier," Mikasa responded after her first answer didn't seem to satisfy them, "in case you haven't noticed, Levi is the total opposite."

"Oh really?" Ymir quirked her eyebrow with a smirk, "because I highly doubt that."

Mikasa's eyes narrowed at the woman who didn't seem unnerved at all, "what are you talking about?"

"If looks could kill. Relax Mikasa" Ymir laughed before retaining her smirk, "I've actually got a story to tell you guys about what I saw in the nightclub last night," the brunette started. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to talk but stopped when her eyes lingered on the half-Asian, "…but never mind. I forgot."

"Ah, really? How could you just start something up and quit right before you even get to the middle of it," Connie complained.

"Yeah, now I'm going to be thinking about it all day thanks to you?" Sasha huffed.

"You're bluffing," Eren started, "you haven't forgotten anything because there was nothing to begin with."

"Guys, I'm not shitting you at all," Ymir defended herself, "I did see something at the club."

"Then what is it?"

"There's no way I'm going to talk about it," she denied, "I don't know about you, but I'm not in the mood to get my ass handed to me."

_Well there goes my appetite._

"I'm finished here," Mikasa said as she stood up.

"Whoa, Mikasa, are you alright?" Armin asked, sporting a concerned look, "you know she didn't mean-"

"Don't worry Armin, I'm fine," Mikasa responded as she stepped away from the table and grabbed her plate, "Now excuse me. I have somewhere to be."

With that, Mikasa left the table while she was still able to hear the hushed voices coming from the table. She didn't exactly know how Ymir found out about it, but of course she had her hunches. Though, she couldn't blame Historia considering how much she trusts Ymir. That was the one aspect of Historia Mikasa never favoured, Ymir. Initially, she didn't like the woman because of the threat she was to Eren's relationship and now she just had her own reasons. The woman somehow knew how to push everyone's buttons.

Oh well, now that she was done with breakfast, she could get to carry out her personal project. She just needed the permission to carry it out.

"Was the food that bad?" she heard a voice ask as she dumped the leftovers into the bin.

"Marco?" she turned and came face to face with the ever smiling man.

"Good morning Mrs. Ackerman," Marco greeted, flashing her smile.

"Good Morning," Mikasa responded while offering him a smile of her own. There was something about Marco that always had this nice effect on her. He was this guy that almost always had a smile on his face. But that wasn't the point, "hey Marco, how's Jean doing?" she asked as she stepped away from the bin.

"Oh Jean?" he asked as he furrowed his eyebrows, "he's… trying. Yeah, he's trying. Last night, we were out looking for Pierre and managed to get a lead from some guy who said he saw him at the park."

"Why didn't the guy do anything like ask the kid where his parents were or something?"

"That's the exact same thing we asked him but the guy just said he assumed he was with his parents," Marco explained before asking, "Hey, what time is it?"

"It's half-passed seven."

"Sorry Mikasa, but I gotta go. Jean's waiting for me outside," he said before he started to walk away, "'twas nice talking to you."

"You too," she responded before deciding to hand in her plate.

* * *

"Morning Mrs. Ackerman,"

"Good morning, Irene," Mikasa greeted her squad mate back, "how've you been?"

"I've been alright, thanks for asking," the blonde responded, "I may as well ask you the same?"

"To be honest, I could be better," Mikasa sighed, remembering how things had been as of late. She then glanced around the room and asked, "do you have any idea what we're even doing here?"

They were in some sort of garage-like room with while where scientists worked all over the place. On the right side of the room, some scientists were working on bikes while others spent time on different pieces of machinery and on the left side, other scientists spent time in front of screens analysing data probably only comprehendible themselves.

"Oh, apparently Special Ops Squads have been stationed here," Irene explained.

"But aren't the researchers already here?"

"That's exactly what I asked but da—Commander Erwin said we ought to help them out," Irene continued, "says they could use the extra muscle."

"Extra muscle?" Mikasa asked, to which the blonde shrugged in response.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Doug," Irene responded while Mikasa waved.

"Whoa Doug, you look terrible," Irene pointed out when the boy got close enough.

"I don't think I look that bad," he said as he looked at himself and then looked over at Mikasa, "Do I?"

Irene pointed that out for a reason. He did look terrible. His hair was messier than usual, his eyes were bloodshot, his stance was awfully groggy and his uniform looked like it was put on him by a three-year-old. He didn't just look terrible, he looked outright exhausted.

"Didn't get much sleep, did you?" Mikasa asked, experience already helping her identify the problem.

"Nah," he shook his head with a yawn, "I didn't get any sleep at all."

"Doug, you knew that we got back on duty today and you never even got any sleep?" Irene asked, "do you have any idea what the Captain's going to do when he sees you?"

"Relax, Irene. I'll be fine," he assured her, "I doubt the Captain will even notice me."

Before Irene could respond to him, shouting could be heard from across the room, forcing the three scouts to face in the direction it came.

"Moblit!" Hange shouted for the man as she held onto Junior's shirt collar, "You are not going to believe it! There's another intelligent titan out on the loose!"

"That's great, Section Commander, but there's no need for you to choke him," Moblit scolded from his position next to the computers.

"The guys have to hear about this. Come on," Hange said before dragging Junior by his collar into the next room.

"I think I can walk on my own," Junior responded as the woman dragged him away.

_That must be where the commander is._

"Excuse me," Mikasa said to her squad-mates before walking after the pair that had just left the room.

Mikasa followed the two into another room. This one looked less like a lab/Garage and actually looked more like a large office with a wooden floor that was mostly covered large maroon rag with a large diamond on the centre.

"Are you sure it can't wait Hange?" she heard Erwin ask as she continued to enter the room, "I'm rather preoccupied right now."

On the centre of the rag was a large table with a sort of glass surface that reflected the light entering the room from the windows. To the right of the table was a large bookshelf and to its left were diagrams on the wall. Beyond the table was a Desk that seemed to have a computer and other desk basics on it and behind the desk was a large window.

Erwin had somehow already created a proper workspace despite being off duty the entire week.

She looked in front of her and saw Hange and Junior standing with Erwin and Pixis at the table.

"Of course it can't wait," Hange responded, "Junior over here has some great news."

"Really?" Erwin asked before looking down at Junior, "what is it, Ackerman?"

"…Uh…sure," Junior gulped before speaking.

Normally, talking to Erwin wasn't something that made her nervous or uncomfortable. She would easily converse with him whenever given the opportunity but something about these types of occasions tended to change things. For some reason, Commander Erwin seemed to intimidate her a little more than regular Erwin. But that wasn't the point. She came to ask for his permission, not evaluate her relationship with him.

Mikasa sighed before deciding to walk towards the group and salute when she was a metre away from them, "Commander Erwin."

"Mrs Ackerman?" Erwin responded as everyone turned to look at her.

Mikasa silently exhaled before speaking, "sorry for interrupting you."

"No problem. At ease, soldier," he said before Mikasa changed to stand at parade rest, "how can I help you?"

"I came to make a request to be excused from regular duty today."

"Excused from regular duty?" Erwin quirked his eyebrow, "but you had time off up until just yesterday."

"Yes, sir, but I'm asking for this time not for leisure purposes," Mikasa responded.

"Then why is it that you request exclusion from today's activities?"

"I want to carry out a personal investigation on a missing person."

"Missing person?" Erwin asked, "You're referring to the missing child of Jean Kirschtein, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"You are aware that Garrison soldiers are already carrying out an investigation, I presume?" Pixis was the next one to ask.

"Yes I am and no offence, but I highly doubt the Garrisons are capable of finding him any time soon," Mikasa responded, keeping her voice monotonous.

"And you would, if given an opportunity?" he asked, looking down at the woman curiously.

"I'm confident I can," Mikasa nodded, "If I don't manage to locate him today, then I would have enough information to find him early tomorrow."

Mikasa stood silently under Pixis' tired but scrutinising eyes. she kept her face impassive to avoid expressing any emotions that show anything but confidence as she made eye contact. From her experience in the army, she had learnt how to interact with several higher-ups including commanders and showing doubt wouldn't do her any good if she wanted approval.

"Hmm… interesting," Pixis nodded before smiling, "well soldier, I'm impressed by your confidence and I'm more than interested in finding out the outcome of your investigation," he said before looking at Erwin, "what do you think, Erwin?"

"I don't see any problem with that," Erwin responded, "though, you have acquired permission from your captain, correct?"

"I've got no problem with that," Levi responded before Mikasa could. When she turned to face him he was standing by a window with Miche, who was staring out of it.

Erwin then nodded, "well then Mrs. Ackerman, you're free to-"

"Hold on, Erwin I'm not done," Levi cut him off.

"Go on, then."

"She can go, but not alone," he added in, "and not with just anyone."

_What the…?_

"Who do you have in mind, Captain?" Erwin asked.

"Leonhart."

_Oh you've gotta be kidding me!_

"Captain?" the woman responded from her position next to the bookshelf.

_She's already here?_

"You'll be assisting Ackerman on her little investigation," Levi explained.

Mikasa found herself locking eyes with Annie. She and the woman had had a rocky introduction when training first began and none of that changed throughout their training course so they mostly avoided engaging each other at all costs. When they were put on the same squad, they rarely spoke and only did when it was completely necessary. When she came to think of it, Annie was the only other adult on the squad—not counting their captain—and she rarely ever spoke to her despite her being the only other person she could actually relate with, considering the fact that the other squad members were teenagers.

She was having a hard time understanding why on earth Levi would pair her up with her and having an even harder time understanding what she was doing in Erwin's office in the first place.

"…Captain, I don't see the need for any assistance," Mikasa suggested, "I'll manage on my own."

"I won't deny that you'll manage to locate the kid on your own," he responded, "that little boy is probably starving, cold and dirty for all we know. So the sooner you find him, the better. I'm assigning Leonhart to work with you not because I don't think you can do it, but because I want you to do it faster."

Levi had a point. Despite their differences, the two of them knew how to get the job done whenever they were paired to do something and no one could deny that. Even during training exercises, when a team of Mikasa and Annie was set, the other teams would compete for second position.

One thing that did leave Mikasa wondering was the fact that Annie graduated in seventh position when she was clearly the only one that could compete with her for first. Though, when she thought about it, Annie, though subtle, was an even bigger slacker than the likes of Jean and Junior. Away from all of that, Pierre's current condition was unknown and she knew the boy needed to be found as soon as possible, both for the sake of his safety and Jean's sanity.

"It's good you've understood," she heard Levi answer.

"Well then, Mrs. Ackerman and Miss Leonhart," Erwin spoke, "you're free to go."

"Thank you," she nodded in unison with Annie before making her way her way towards the door, Annie trailing right behind her.

She didn't know why she got so interested in finding Pierre that she offered to do a personal investigation but one thing for sure was that she was going to find that boy and reunite him with his father.

* * *

Two motorbikes came to a halt at the parking lot of Rose Park. As usual, there were numerous people moving up and about, going about their own business.

Mikasa stepped off her bike and began to make her way towards the entrance of the park, Annie tailing her quietly.

When she finally got to a point where majority of the park was visible, she stopped and let her eyes survey the area. If she was going to get information about Pierre in the park, she needed to ask people that were park regulars as they would have stood a better chance at having noticed the boy walk around.

But then, most of the people that were there on a weekday were probably park regulars and she would end up wasting time asking a large number of people that never even had a reason to keep their eyes peeled for any random kid walking around. She needed to ask someone that would most likely have caught a glimpse of the boy.

"_when we got there, we played tag a little bit before Jean told him to play with the other kids on the playground."_

Mikasa's eyes immediately landed on the playground where a lot of children ran up and down. Her attention immediately shifted to the hot-dog cart that was only a few metres away from the playground's entrance. Her best bet would be to ask the guy manning the cart.

Without so much as a warning, Mikasa was already walking towards the cart, Annie still silently tailing her a few feet behind.

"Hello there, ladies," the vendor flashed them a smile as they approached his cart, "nice weather we're having ain't it?"

"Good morning sir," Mikasa greeted when she came to a stop in front of him, "the weather is rather cold for my liking if you ask me."

"Well that's just cause, the Winter's approaching," the man responded before quirking his eyebrow, "the folks round here hate it when it gets cold. As for me, winter's like a breath of fresh air."

"Though, aren't you concerned that you'll have less customers around here when it gets too cold?" Mikasa asked.

"That's why my dogs're going at half-price right now. And believe it or not, they're selling faster than my uncle Tim can finish a tray of eggs," he chuckled before looking back at his stand, "now what can good old uncle Farlan get you two purdy ladies?"

"Actually, we didn't come here to buy anything," Mikasa explained.

"Well I'll be. I hope ya'll aren't holding back because of some crazy diet because ya'll look perfect," he said in disbelief.

"No, Mr…Farlan, it's nothing of the sort," Mikasa assured him, "we're actually here to ask you something."

"Ask me something?" Farlan asked as he looked around, "ya'll aren't with one of those surprise TV shows, are ya? How much is on the line if I answer correctly?"

"Listen Mr. Farlan, we're on a tight schedule here so we don't have any time to waste," Annie started in her usual bland tone, "so if you don't mind, let her ask the question."

"Well I'll be. She can talk," Farlan said in an amused tone before shaking his head and looking back at Mikasa, "alright ma'am, how can I help you?"

"You're welcome," Mikasa heard Annie mutter from behind her. She was actually debating on whether or not she would thank her squad-mate but the blonde saved her the energy. She then returned her focus to the vendor.

"Mr. Farlan, have you by any chance seen a little boy around here?" Mikasa started, remembering how the little boy looked, "he has some type of brown hair, really small and looks to be about three years old."

"Hmmm… well, I see a lot of little kids daily so I don't think I can remember seeing that one in specific," Farlan said as he rested his hands on his hips.

_Well that was a waste of_

"Although…" Farlan continued, bringing his hand to cup his chin, "I remember seeing a kid here two days ago. I can't remember exactly how the kid looked but I reckon he was on his own, judging by how uneasy he looked.

"If you knew he was on his own, why didn't you bother to help him out?" Mikasa asked, getting surprised by the locals of Fort Rose.

"I dunno, I just thought he was with his folks," Farlan shrugged, much like the person from Marco's story.

"…okay then," Mikasa decided against criticising his decision. She, instead, opted to ask another question, "Mr. Farlan, do you have any idea where the boy could've gone?"

"Well, I saw the boy leave the park through those gates," the man said, pointing at a pair of gates that lead to a busy road, "yeah, he left through those gates."

Mikasa's eyes widened at the thought of a toddler walking around unsupervised on a busy road. At this point she could only hope that the boy was still alive and hadn't been run over by some driver because she was starting to believe Fort Rose's people didn't care much about what wasn't theirs.

"Thank you Mr. Farlan," Mikasa nodded before stepping back, "we have to go now."

"You're more than welcome ladies," Farlan smiled at them, "if it'll be of any help, I think you should check the candy store that's not too far from this here park. The kids love going there."

"Thank you Mr. Farlan," Mikasa nodded, once again, "we will definitely check on that. Have a good day," she said before turning around to face Annie, "come on, the sooner we get moving, the better."

"Have a good day too, ladies," Farlan called as the women walked away.

After one attempt at questioning they had found a lead, which was of great relief to Mikasa. She wanted to find Pierre as soon as possible, not only because she really wanted to reunite him with his father, but because she somehow liked the fact that Pixis had somewhat challenged her to beat his Garrisons. She had acknowledged this because her competitive self somewhat got excited at the thought of a challenge.

"Finally giving me orders, are you?" Annie asked from her position behind Mikasa.

"Well, I am second in command," Mikasa responded, not bothering to look back at Annie.

"Of course," Annie started, "the captain's wife is second in command of the squad. Ah well, Life, these days, has become rather difficult. I shouldn't even be surprised by the fact that the only ways to move forward is through advantages."

Mikasa rolled her eyes at the implications the blonde woman was gave her. She was aware of the controversy that went around as soon as she was picked for Levi's Squad and she had just ignored it. She never really paid attention to whatever was said and just kept to her own business about it. That was exactly how she was going to respond to this situation as she had no time to get worked up about that when there was a child out there on his own.

"So that kid," Annie started, this time sounding less sarcastic, "you said he was only three?"

"Yes," Mikasa nodded in response to the blonde.

"Humph," Annie sighed before continuing, "it's sad, how merciless life can be at times. Even toddlers aren't safe from the misfortunes it tends to throw at people. Being alone in an unfamiliar place where people don't seem to care so much about others must be hard on the kid."

"To think life would have the decency to wait until he was older to put him through something like this. Instead, it decided to separate a helpless toddler from his family and leave him the mercy of thousands of different people, regardless of their intentions for him. Oh well, it is what it is."

In the midst of Annie's surprisingly vocal moment, Mikasa had found herself thinking of her own children. All of them so young and at the mercy of whoever was put to look after them. Her mind then drifted back to her conversation with Levi earlier that morning. She was starting realise even more that there was still a possibility of harm coming to her kids regardless of whether or not Levi and her were there to protect them. Her own mother tried to protect her when those burglars attacked but the woman still ended up a corpse alongside her father.

She couldn't bear to imagine herself and Levi lying lifelessly while their kids were left to fend for themselves with little to no means of doing so. Perhaps she did need to stop worrying too much about their kids being in danger and instead worry about whether or not their kids would be able to get themselves out of it.

_You were right Levi. We can't just sit back and rely on ourselves to do everything for them._

"Are you going to keep on staring at your bike like that or what?" Annie asked, snapping Mikasa out of her thoughts.

"Come on. Let's get to that store," Mikasa said before she hopped onto her bike and turned on her engine.

* * *

"You're talking about the kid that was on the news right?"

"Yes," Mikasa nodded, "is it possible that you could've seen him around here?"

"No, I didn't see him," the clerk in a nonchalant tone, keeping her eyes on her phone the entire time.

"Does no one in this city care about non-personal matters?" Mikasa asked, rather surprised by the demeanour of the clerk.

"That's what it looks like to me," Annie responded, taking a bite out of a chocolate bar, "don't look at me like that. Just because you don't want to enjoy yourself doesn't mean I don't, either."

"Sorry ma'am, but if it helps, I don't think the kid could've gone very far," the girl said after finally putting her phone away, "he is just three after all. I don't think he has the energy to walk across town."

That wasn't assuring at all, but it wasn't like the girl was supposed know where he was. it was just Mr. Farlan's advice to check the store out. Well, she still had a kid to look for and standing in a candy store wasn't exactly going to make finding Pierre easier.

"Thank you… Melissa," Mikasa said before stepping away from the counter. She then turned away from the counter and started to walk towards the door.

"Glad I could help," she heard Melissa call as she stepped out of the store.

"So what next?" Annie asked as she closed the door.

"To be honest, I hoped we'd be able to get information from the locals but unfortunately. The people around here could care less."

"Hang in there, the day's still young."

Mikasa rolled her eyes at the obvious sarcasm and decided to look around and maybe—just maybe—she would identify a potential lead.

"Well would you look at that," Mikasa heard an unfamiliar female voice start, "scouts."

"Hey Mikasa," a more familiar voice called out and Mikasa followed the direction of the voice and immediately, her eyes landed on Petra, next to another woman.

"Petra," Mikasa responded when the ginger stopped in front of her.

"I never expected running into you around town, especially since you guys are back on duty," Petra said.

"Yeah, I thought you scouts were supposed to be fighting titans or something," the woman criticised before glancing at Annie, "not stuffing your faces with candy."

Mikasa couldn't tell exactly what it was about that woman that reminded her of someone she knew, but she just couldn't pin point it. She could, however tell that this woman could definitely be a pain in the raw flesh when she wanted to be.

"Oh right. You weren't there so you haven't met," Petra realised when she noticed Mikasa staring at the woman, "Mikasa, this is Team Leader, Rico Brzenska. We do patrols together."

"Rico, this is Special Ops Squad Member, Mikasa Ackerman. You didn't meet her last time because she wasn't at the meeting," Petra explained.

"Pleasure to meet you," Rico said, holding out her hand to the half-Asian, offering her a stare. The woman's eyes then seemed to linger on Annie for a moment, "Oh look, it's the pissed off looking one."

"Pleasure's all mine," Mikasa responded when she took Rico's hand in hers, equally returning the stare.

"Mikasa, we need to get going, don't you think?" Annie asked, after the women separated.

"Yeah, I think we should," Mikasa responded, acknowledging the fact that Annie would much rather be somewhere else than in the same area as Rico. However, as soon as she was about to tell Petra that she had to go, Mikasa gained an idea, "Petra, what do you know about the missing child, Pierre Kirschtein?" if they were going to have some good leads, Garrisons would be their best bet considering the fact that they were the ones investigating in the first place.

"Oh yes, Pierre Kirschtein. There's currently an investigation being carried out, right Rico?" Petra asked as she looked at her companion.

"An investigation being carried out by the worst possible people," Rico responded before looking back at the scouts, "let me guess, you've decided to carry out your own investigation because you've realised how pointless it is to train for a battle you can't possibly win and desperately need something to keep you busy?"

"Well, if you are carrying out your own investigation then…" Petra started before glancing around until her eyes landed in a particular direction. She then stepped forward until she was right next to Mikasa and then pointed beyond her, "do you see that tall building?"

Mikasa followed Petra's hand and eventually her eyes landed on what appeared to be an extremely tall building not too far from where their location, "I see it."

"If you want a good place to look, it should be around that area," Petra explained, "this entire area has already been investigated so you'd be wasting your time around here."

For once, Mikasa could actually appreciate Petra's sudden appearance. She had actually given them a huge lead on Pierre's possible location.

"…Thanks Petra."

"You're more than welcome," Petra offered her a smile before continuing, "and if you don't find anything there, then be sure to check out the areas beyond that point as well. Majority of that part of town hasn't been investigated."

"Will do," Mikasa nodded before offering a smile of her own to the woman. Perhaps she wasn't just good at being a potential homewrecker. Oh who was she kidding? Petra's actually a well-seasoned soldier qualified for Veteran status and there was no way she could forget the fact that Petra had been in the Paradis' Army much longer than herself. If anything, she should have even been saluting her.

_Heh, nope._

"Oh well, Rico and I have to go," Petra said after looking at the platinum blonde and then back at Mikasa, "we'll see you around then."

"Sure," Mikasa said as the women walked passed her. She then turned back to Annie, who had been quietly leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets, "We should get going."

"Of course," Annie nodded before stepping away from the wall and started following Mikasa to their bikes.

* * *

"This area looks rather sketchy; don't you think?" Mikasa said as she looked around the area, slowly walking. It appeared to be the sort of place criminals thrived in in movies. A lot of vandalised property, poorly maintained buildings and an overall filthy area. However, the area was still functional as people still walked up and down the streets and most shops appeared open.

"That's probably why it hasn't been investigated first," Annie responded, keeping her usual distance from Mikasa as she slowly walked after her.

"That doesn't make sense," Mikasa responded as she still scanned the area, hoping something in the area would stick out to her "wouldn't the first place to be investigated be the most obvious one? I mean, not that I'm profiling or anything, but wouldn't the people that live here most likely be willing to commit something like kidnapping to earn money through ransom."

"When you think about the kind of people the Garrisons are, them leaving a place like this alone isn't exactly something that doesn't make sense," Annie responded.

"You have a point," Mikasa responded, getting Annie's point. She was right, the Garrisons didn't seem to take their jobs seriously enough to even be willing to risk their own safety. She actually remembered hearing Hange complain about them laughing during that meeting. She didn't get it, their commander seemed like a well-seasoned leader so how could they be so… useless?

"Oi, ladies!"

Both women followed the direction of the voice and their eyes landed on a man seated at a table outside a cafe.

"Care for a drink?" they heard him ask.

The women both shared a look with one another before finally deciding to cross the street and walk up to the man.

"Please, ladies," the man smiled, revealing his unnaturally white teeth, as he patted the other chairs at the table. "Have a seat."

Once again, the women shared a look before slowly sitting at the table. Mikasa didn't understand why she was sitting at a table with some random stranger, but something was telling her he looked like a person who was capable of kidnapping the poor boy.

"What would you like me to get you?" he asked, ogling at the women like they were prizes and he had just hit some jackpot.

_Yup, definitely a rapist._

"I'll have a coffee," Mikasa said, trying to avoid revealing to the—obviously going to spike the drinks looking—man that she already suspected him of his intentions.

"Same for me," Annie responded from beside her, having probably caught on to Mikasa's idea.

"Excellent," the man literally beamed before getting up, "just let me go order some for us." With that, the man rushed into the store.

"Mind telling me why we're having coffee with a potential kidnapper?"

"Exactly," Mikasa responded, turning to face her.

"I get your point," Annie responded, acknowledging Mikasa's reasoning.

A few minutes later, the café's doors opened and the man stepped out without the coffee, "hey ladies, I forgot that there's actually a lot of flavours in here. I was gonna pick out random ones but I figured it would be best if you ladies came in and picked one for yourselves because…allergies."

_The hell does he take us for, kids?_

"Uh, sure, just give us a minute," Mikasa responded before the man nodded and re-entered the shop. She then turned to Annie, "why don't we go in and pick some flavours?"

"Because allergies?" Annie quirked her eyebrow.

"I know right?" Mikasa rolled her eyes before standing up and looking back down at her.

"If I'm not mistaken, before all of this, you served in Paradis' Army and later on as a police officer," Annie started, "going through that sort of training must've given you some sort of 'sixth sense to detect danger right?"

"Yes it has," Mikasa nodded, "why do you ask?"

"Just making sure," Annie said before also rising from her seat and following Mikasa into the store.

* * *

"The massive food capital, Fort Rose," a man said as he stood atop the walls of Fort Rose, looking down upon the busy city in amazement at how it was still managing to function so well regardless of the current world situation. "Is this where you've been hiding all this time?" he asked no one in particular.

"I don't know how you've managed to last so long despite everything," the man continued, keeping his gaze on the city, "I'm impressed by the fact that you were able to outwit even the best. You must really be one of a kind huh?" the man said before chuckling, "regardless, you stand no chance at outwitting me the same way you did those **failures**."

"I'll deal with them later," he shook his head before taking a step closer to the edge, "right now, my main concern is you," he said, "initially, I was just going to have to go in there myself and pull you out, but I don't exactly know who you are as that fool never bothered to show me any photos of you and I don't have time to start playing the guessing game. Therefore, I think the best way to get you is to lure you out."

"War chief."

"What is it?" the man asked, not turning away from the city.

"All the bars in southern Fort Rose received the shipment last night."

"Excellent. Things are going according to plan."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No," the man shook his head, "I think it's time we get to work."

* * *

"You'll pay for this, you… bitch!" the man choked before Mikasa kicked his head, rendering him unconscious. Mikasa didn't know why but she had a sudden feeling of relief flow through her.

They had stepped into the store and as expected, they weren't met with the opportunity to choose from the different flavours of coffee. Instead, all they found was a group of men waiting for them to enter the room. All it took was a Mikasa and Annie tag team and all of them were lying around unconscious.

"At this point, all I can think is that you just felt like beating people up," Annie commented from behind her.

Mikasa turned to face the blonde, "Not exactly, but with what I've been through these past few days, I'm actually relieved to have been able to blow off some steam," she explained, "plus, imagining every guy here as that Rico chick really adds on the good feeling."

"Hmph, I can't help but second that," Annie responded before she gave a small smile—an actual smile.

"I'm glad to see we're on the same page," Mikasa returned the smile.

This was something Mikasa had never imagined herself doing. Actually getting along with Annie and even smiling at her. She had to admit that it actually felt good to be at peace with her for once and she wouldn't mind if things could be a little more like this regularly. Wait, did that mean they were starting to warm up to each other? Well that would be good for the squad naturally…which was probably the reason…

_Levi, you, conniving bastard._

Mikasa shook her head in amusement. Of course Levi had done this on purpose. She had to give him Kudos though, his plan totally worked and here she was smiling at Annie. Annie of all people. Oh well, they still had a case to solve, "hey Annie, now that we…"

Mikasa stopped when a loud rumbling could be heard. It instantly sent shivers down her spine as she was unable to identify what on earth it could possibly be. The more the rumbling went on, the less it sounded like a rumble and the more it sounded like some sort of… roar.

Before either of them could say anything, bright yellow lights started flashing from the outside of the building at fast rates and actual rumbles accompanied by numerous roars could he heard from the outside.

Immediately the flashing stopped, a lone flash was observed before another roar was heard.

"That idiot…"

Mikasa didn't respond when she heard Annie whisper those words. Instead, she was more interested in finding out what exactly was going on and whether or not her family was safe. She then shared a look with the equally terrified looking Annie and nodded.

"Let's Go!"

**Hey guys. Thank you soooooo much for reading this chapter. Your support means so much to me and I'd love to hear your thoughts on Mikasa and Annie's little adventure and I hope you enjoyed the 104****th**** moment I put in at the beginning. Man, this was a lot of work for me and I'm glad I'm done.**

**Now, before I go any further, I'd like to mention that I'm a person that has only gone as far as the anime has gone so all the research I did on some of the other characters was quite minimal to avoid spoilers because I'm waiting for season 4 to come out. Because of this, I apologize to all the manga readers if at all certain things like Marley and some of the information regarding it or some of the other characters isn't exactly accurate so please bear with me and hang on.**

**Away from all of that, I'd also like to apologize in advance for future late updates as like usual, I'm pretty preoccupied with other activities and hence I posted a triple update to make up for the wait. So all I can say is expect updates whenever I can post them. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience I may be causing but I'm afraid that's how it's going to be. So I hope you've enjoyed these passed three chapters because I feel they introduce a new part of the story and I definitely want you guys to be there for this.**

**Oh well, I think I've said more than usual huh. So I guess I'll see you the next time I update.**

**Bye!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys. Been a while. I hope Ya'll are doing okay this quarantine. Welcome back to another chapter of HSF. Now, I didn't see any reviews for the last three chapters. I hope ya'll are still there. Anyways, here's another chapter I managed to write for you guys. This one's going to have mostly action in it so I hope you're ready. It's pretty long and is pretty much the only chapter that I think will have a title. I hope you enjoy it.**

**THE BATTLE FOR ROSE I**

Mikasa jetted towards the top of the building, the wind blowing through her hair as Annie trailed her. When they had stepped outside, they weren't exactly able to find the source of the roars. So they opted to go up the skyscraper.

With one final hiss of gas, Mikasa landed on the roof with a thud and Annie's thud right after hers. She walked towards the edge and placed her hands over eyes to block the sun. When she looked at the city, their fears were confirmed. There were titans—a lot of titans in the southern part of Fort Rose.

_How?_

With the best of her eyesight, she tried scanning the walls for any breaches but it looked completely intact.

"How could they have gotten in?" She asked herself as there was no way titans were able to climb the walls and even if they were able to, so many couldn't have gotten by without detection.

Suddenly, her communicator came to life in her ear.

**Levi: All of you listen up. Special Ops Squads have been assigned to aid the Garrisons in evacuating the citizens towards the North Side of the Fort. All of you should Assemble at Rose Park. There you will meet Hange and Miche. You'll receive specific orders. **

"Understood," Mikasa responded before looking back at Annie and sharing a nod. The two then jumped off the building and began to jet in the direction of Rose Park.

As she few above the buildings, Mikasa took note of the many cars and civilians flooding the streets. Garrison soldiers on buildings and in the streets. The air was filled with the sound of cars honking and people yelling. All of them in a state of panic trying their best to do one thing.

Survive.

Mikasa's mind started to wander until she thought of her family. Fortunately, they were on the east side of the fort so they weren't in the direct line of attack by the titans, but either way, it didn't mean they were completely out of danger.

She glanced behind her and saw the titans in the distance, being taken down by the other scouts fighting desperately to protect the citizens. Even though their offence was strong, the titans were numerous and were slowly pushing forward. It wouldn't be long until they reached the centre.

She desperately wanted to go to her parents' home to make sure everyone would be safe, but she couldn't. This wasn't a war she was fighting for her family alone, but for thousands of helpless families trapped within the fort. Despite how hard it sounded, she was better off protecting thousands of lives than damning them all to save ten. She could only hope for the best.

_Please stay safe._

The two of them eventually landed in the crowded at Rose park, where several soldiers stood. Immediately, Mikasa spotted the familiar black uniforms and rushed towards where the scouts were gathered.

"Okay, Mikasa and Annie are here," Hange pointed out when they approached, "so that leaves us with Douglas to complete Levi's squad. Do you two have any idea as to where he could be?"

Both women shook their heads in response. Similar to the time on their expedition, Doug had just vanished for a while before randomly returning, which he hadn't yet done.

"Well, then if that's the case then we'll just have to go on without him," Hange said before taking a step back, "Okay, listen up. Our job here is to protect the citizens as they are being evacuated. The Garrisons will mainly be on the grounds and lower rooftops, guiding the citizens forward. We Scouts will spend most of our time in the air and on the higher buildings to gain a better vantage point and spot any titans approaching the evacuation routes," she explained before eyeing the groups carefully.

"Squad Hange will take the lead and defend the fore route. That's around the Rosewood area. In terms of technicality, Squad Levi in strongest so they will take charge of the defending the mid-route, which is the Rose Park Area. In case any titans chose to do any surprise attacks from the sides, you'll be responsible for taking them down. Then in terms of force, Squad Miche leads. You will be defending the rear route in the Rose Town Area. That is where the titans will be attacking in abundance so your strength is required there. Being outnumbered shouldn't be much of a concern as other scouts will be assisting you in the area," she finished before asking, "are we clear?"

"Understood," the scouts replied, prompting Hange to nod and turn towards the Garrisons.

"Captain Woermann, is everything set?"

"…Yes. We're ready to move," the man responded before looking at the Garrisons, "All of you, take you positions!"

Taking it their cue, Hange looked towards the Scouts, "Alright, let's get moving!"

The hissing of gas could be heard and squads Miche and Hange went off to their specific directions.

Being the second in command, Mikasa naturally took the lead looked at the remaining squad members. Minus Doug and Levi, there were only the three of them. That was going to be a problem. If Doug were here, she would have assigned each of them a section to watch, but since he was absent. It meant one spot was going to be open. Well, not if she was going to put in the extra effort.

"Okay, this is how we're going to do it," she started, "Irene, will take charge of watching the east side of Rose Park and Annie will be in charge of the West. I'll take charge of the North and South parts. If any of us is in need of backup, don't hesitate to call for it. Understood?"

"Understood." They nodded before the three of them dispersed.

Mikasa immediately took to the air and went high enough to see the entirety of the southern side of Rose park. From what she could tell, the titans seemed to be being held off by Miche and his team. The traffic was moving at a faster rate now that the Garrisons were in control.

"All clear on this side," she said before shooting the hooks in the opposite direction and jetting off towards the northern side of the park.

When she got there, she took note that there weren't any titans approaching the area from anywhere that side.

Deciding to take a break, Mikasa went perched onto one of the buildings and took a breather.

She glanced at the approaching cars and sighed as they moved. Hearing the Garrisons voices as they guided the citizens through the area. There were citizens coming in from the South, East and West. Each one of them was hoping to head to safety.

She had started to let her eyes wander around the area. Scanning each of the cars in hopes of spotting Grisha's SUV. She had started to fiddle with her scarf as she felt her anxiety levels start to rise. She knew there were many more lives at stake than just her family's, but she was human. It was only natural for her to worry about her parents and as a mother, she'd be damned if she wasn't worried about her children.

**Irene: I've got some titans heading my direction About five of them to be exact. I'll need backup right away.**

Though a bit startled by the sudden occurrence, Mikasa immediately regained her composure and shot towards Irene's direction. Her mind already set on the task at hand. To eliminate the attacking titans.

After a brief flight, Mikasa arrived at Irene's area and already saw her fending off the titans. When she looked at the area she noticed three more approaching the area. Two normal ones walking while an abnormal one hopping from building to building.

Deciding to leave Irene to fend of the two that were closer to the centre, Mikasa went beyond with her eyes locked onto the abnormal. It was going to be the bigger problem so she would have to work on taking it down first.

As expected, the abnormal paid her no mind so it meant things weren't going to be too difficult to handle. She shot herself forward. She was going to take it from above since it was hopping on all fours. It was definitely going to be too…

_Shit!_

If Mikasa has been even a second late, she would've lost her foot. While she was planning, the beast had hopped right up into the air and had snapped its teeth where her legs had just been. From her point of view, it was like everything was moving in slow motion until the titan fell to the ground and landed flat on its belly. Mikasa followed suit and stabbed its nape. Instantly killing it.

"That was close," she muttered to herself before remembering that there were other titans to deal with. The pair of normal titans from before had turned around and started approaching her instead.

She shot towards the beasts and lodged her hooks onto the side of one of their necks before using it for leverage to help her swing around them and launch forward, slaying them successively.

She allowed herself to come to rest on top of a building.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Mikasa sighed once the successive beeping began. The gas in the canisters was running low and she knew she couldn't blame anyone but herself for that. She had been flying an awful lot since this battle began. Well, she just had to make do with what she had left.

The sound of hissing caught Mikasa's attention and she turned to find Irene landing behind her.

"Mrs. Ackerman, thanks for the assist back there," the blonde said as she approached the woman.

"No problem," the half-Asian responded.

Irene then gained a concerned look, "Mrs. Ackerman, sounds like you're running low on gas."

"Don't worry about it," Mikasa assured her, "I'll just have to use it more sparingly."

"Or… I have another idea," Irene started, "How's this sound. I'll take care of your previous positions as I have enough gas to last me a while. You can watch over my position from here on." She then took a step forward and looked around the area. She then looked back at Mikasa, "I don't see any titans near enough to pose a threat so you'll be able to save your gas for when an actual threat comes over."

"Irene, you don't have to do this," Mikasa tried to deny the offer, "I'll be able to make do with the little I have. You should be the one to save your gas considering that you have enough of it."

"Mrs. Ackerman. You're practically holding together the squad and this entire area on your shoulders. To be honest, you're our best bet when it comes to protecting the people from the titans and I'm better off losing all aerial mobility while you're still able to fight. So that's why I insist of taking your position," she persisted.

Mikasa didn't know what amused her more. The modesty of the blonde or the persuasive power the words seemed to carry. She was honest enough to state facts, regardless of the fact that it meant demeaning her own abilities. She was speaking from a different point of view. She spoke of what would be better for the many lives in danger than for her own life. She really was like a mini Erwin.

"Please, Mrs. Ackerman. I insist."

"Fine," Mikasa finally gave in to the blonde, "but that doesn't mean you should be careless with your gas. Use it only when you have to."

"Understood," the blonde nodded before offering a wave and shooting towards Mikasa's former position.

After the girl left, Mikasa decided to sit on the edge of one of the buildings and watch the area. Like Irene had pointed out, there were no titans in sight, so she would actually save her remaining gas.

Aside from the fact that the beeping was starting to get annoying, everything else seemed to be under control. She spotted other scouts taking down titans in the distance. They seemed to be handling them pretty well.

She found herself wondering how her friends were doing. The Springers, Armin, Eren. She hadn't seen them since the morning. She hoped they were alright. Heck even Junior. He wasn't with Hange, so he must've been with his own squad. For some reason she started to remember the last time they faced titans. She found him crying because he couldn't stand up to some titan. She sighed, remembering her and Levi's previous conversations regarding their children, Junior in particular.

"_it's because of you babying him for all 16 years of life that he's grown into the pathetic nerd he is right now!"_

"Am I a bad person for thinking you're right?" Mikasa asked no one in particular. When she thought about it, it was pretty sad to see him cry like that, considering the fact that he had been through so much training the past. To think he would've at least awakened when he saw Irene being taken away by that titan. Oh well, she couldn't blame him. She had been so soft with him for the majority of his life. Kind of like she tried to do to Eren, but Eren has always been a fighter. Junior's vastly different so of course they turned out differently.

It was not until a familiar screech–like roar was heard that she snapped out of her thoughts. The adrenaline was already pumping through her veins as she hopped onto her feet. Her eyes scanned the area until they focused on one particular area, where a familiar face had just appeared.

The strange titan, the same one that had nearly killed Irene and Junior, was seen running towards the centre at rapid speeds.

"Oh no," she gasped as she readied the grappling hooks. Looks like she her break was cut short.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Mikasa looked down and immediately remembered her current state. Her gas was low and she was going to have to face an enemy that probably required a full tank to take down.

Could she risk it or was she better off waiting it out for the other Scouts to take care of it because even if she tried, her gas would finish on her before she knew it and she'd end up dead.

As her mind entered debate. She watched as the titan approached and then glanced behind her at the numerous people that were being ushered through the park. All of them were depending on the scouts to defend them because in as much as they wish did, they stood no chance against the gigantic humans.

It was at this point that Mikasa had to make a decision. She would take down the titan or at least die trying. Leaving her children half-orphaned definitely wasn't her plan, but she knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to take part in this fight.

"Oh well," she sighed before running and shooting her hooks towards the attacking titan, the only thing on her mind right now was killing that son of a bitch.

As Mikasa got closer and closer, the wind blowing back her hair intensified. Her grey eyes reflecting nothing but the pure intent to kill the damn beast.

For a second there, she noticed the titan's eyes shift until they were focused on her. It let out a loud roar, releasing a gust of wind in her direction, but Mikasa jetted through them, not even fazed by the attempt to create air resistance.

_You just had to rear your ugly face again, didn't you?_

She nimbly dodged the hand that reached out to her by propelling herself upwards and over the hand. As she flew in the air, the titan's nape became visible and she could see the tiny crystals starting to form around the area.

She knew this was going to be a longshot, but she was going to take her chances. Maybe she could beat it before it completely covered the area with crystals. If she was just quick enough, she could use what was left of her gas for quick burst forward. Yes, this was going to do it.

_Don't worry, this time you won't get to run away._

Mikasa shot her grappling hooks onto its neck, she prepared to launch forward. She was going to go in and stab it. Right in the centre. She just had to wait for the right moment to strike…

"Hey, I won't let you get away this time!"

Mikasa froze when she heard the familiar voice shouting.

_No please, no._

She followed the direction of the voice until her eyes landed on a familiar figure jetting right after it, "Dammit, Junior," she groaned to herself as she had now found herself in a dilemma. Her chances of killing the titan were slim and if at all she didn't make it, Junior would pay the price too.

There was an even bigger debate in her mind this time. Risk dying while trying to slay a titan and have her son die too, or forget the titan and get her son to safety.

_Fuck the titan. I've gotta to save my boy!_

After detaching the hook from the titan, Mikasa shot it at a nearby building and propelled herself forward.

With the speeds she was moving at, everything but Junior became a blur to her.

"This is for hurting Irene!" she heard him yell as he removed his blades and aimed for its neck. His was so focused on taking down the titan that he hadn't noticed the titans hand reaching over its shoulder to grab him.

In a matter of seconds before the hand closed around him, Mikasa managed to grab junior as she flew towards a building.

Her gas immediately finished after this, so their landing wasn't going to be smooth.

Mikasa braced herself as they landed on the roof and rolled a few feet before coming to a complete stop. Mikasa released her hold around Junior and allowed him to get up while she panted on her back heavily.

"What the-mom!" Junior started, frustration evident in his tone, "why did you do that?"

Mikasa sat up, wincing as she felt a sharp pain in her back, "not the thank you I expected."

"Mom, I almost had him! Why did you do that?"

With some struggle, Mikasa rose to her feet until she was level with her son, "listen, Junior, you weren't going to make it."

"What do you mean, I wasn't going to make it?" Junior asked, looking rather annoyed, "I was literally an inch away from the titan. I was going to kill him but you decided to get in the way."

Mikasa found herself getting rather annoyed as well. She risks the remainder of her gas to save her son and he repays her by telling her she got in the way. No matter how much she loved him, in no way was she cool with him being so ungrateful. However, it was hardly the time for her to start scolding him. There were important things to think about.

She glanced back in the direction of the titan and saw that it had resumed approaching the centre, only this time it had stopped running and was walking. She had to get back into the air pronto. She looked back at Junior and saw him preparing to run and jump into the air to chase after it.

"Junior wait, what do you think you're doing?" she said as soon as she managed to grab onto his arm.

"I'm going to kill that thing," Junior said as he started to try and escape her grip.

"Junior no," Mikasa responded, keeping her grip firm, "you are going to go back to your squad this instant. We've got things covered over here."

"Mom, he's getting away," he struggled against her grip even harder.

"Junior, go back to your squad."

"No!"

"What was that?" Mikasa asked, somewhat surprised by the sudden attitude her son was giving her.

"I said no!" Junior responded before turning to glare at her, "Now let me go. You're wasting my time!" he shouted before he started trying to shake her off.

"Junior, what's gotten into you?" Mikasa asked,somewhat startled by the the look he gave her. She even started to struggle to maintain her grip on him. He was being uncharacteristically stubborn.

"Nothing mom. Now let go! He's getting away!" Junior urged, "tch! you're wasting my fucking time."

"Watch that tone, Mister," Mikasa snapped, her irritation rising once more, "Junior, you're being incredibly stupid right now. You know that you don't stand a chance against that thing yet you're acting like such a stubborn ass."

"I don't care how I'm acting."

"Junior, I'm only trying to protect you!"

"I didn't ask you to protect me!"

Mikasa found herself stunned. She couldn't understand why he was acting that way. He never yelled at her. He never gave her those dirty looks. He never cursed at her. He never even dared to get physical with her, yet here he was literally trying to fight her off. What was going on with her son?

"Now, let go!" she heard him shout but before she could react, he shook her off, sending her backwards, stumbling until she fell flat onto her back.

"Ouch!" she hissed, feeling the pain immediately course throughout her back.

"Shit, Mom!" she heard Junior gasp before rushing to kneel by her side.

Mikasa opened her eyes and found hers locked with her son's. All the rage that was contained in them had suddenly vanished and had been replaced with concern, "…J-Junior."

"Mom… Mom, I'm sorry,' she saw him panic, "I didn't mean to… I was just mad… I wasn't Myself-I-I lost control. I just wanted to…"

"It's okay, Junior," Mikasa responded as she tried to sit up, "Just… help me up."

"Okay."

As Junior tried to help her up, Mikasa caught the sound of gas hissing and a thud afterwards. When she turned her head, Levi was the one who had landed on the roof. She was about to call out to him when she noticed something was off. He looked completely tense and his eyes had darkened with the glare he wore on his face. Deciding to follow his glare, her eyes landed on…

_Junior._

Before she could even act, Levi had already beaten her to it.

"How dare you do that to your mother?" Levi snarled as he slowly walked towards him, his pace slow, but equally terrifying.

"…D-Dad, I didn't mean it," Junior responded as he started backing away, the look of absolute terror on his face, "I-I… It was an accident. I-I didn't want to hurt her, I j-just-"

"You just what, huh?" Levi asked as he stalked after him, not breaking the glare he was currently giving him, "your mother just saved your ass by risking her own life. She just used what was probably her last burst of gas to save your ass from getting crushed by that titan and this is what you do to repay her! You literally pushed your mother onto her ass because she just tried to keep you safe? After all the shit she's pulled for your pathetic ass, you do this to her?"

Mikasa felt herself growing worried at the display in front of her. In as much as Junior was wrong to do what he did, her instinct to protect hadn't faltered one bit. The look Levi wore on his face was one that appeared to be a mixture of Anger, shock and disappointment. Having known him for so long had helped her be able to notice even the smallest details about him. She knew he was feeling a good amount of emotions right now, but the most dominant of them all was anger.

Before taking on the vile beasts that were wreaking havoc on the city, Mikasa had to deal with the caged one that was just seconds from breaking free from its constraints.

"Dad, look I'm sorry," Junior apologized, still backing away from the man despite being the one looking down at him. Despite being a relatively short man, Levi carried a rather heavy presence with him that always managed to get even the largest of men uneasy around him.

"Sorry won't do Junior. What you have done to your mother, the woman who has done so much to bring you up in the best way she can, has crossed the line. All those parenting books and websites say talking to your kids will help them learn better, but from what I've seen, you don't need to be spoken to," he said before grabbing onto Junior's collar with one hand and pulling him forward, bringing him to his knees in front of him.

The two stayed looking—well more like Junior staring and Levi glaring— at each other for a moment. The sound of Junior's intense breathing was all that could be heard between them before Levi's lips parted.

"What you need is to be taught a lesson."

The moment she saw his other hand move, Mikasa leapt into action and held onto it before it could come down on its target, "Levi stop!"

Holding him back was definitely more difficult than Junior, especially since Levi was much stronger than she was. Still, that wouldn't stop her from protecting Junior from getting hurt.

"Levi, please stop," she called out but he didn't stop struggling against her hand. "Trust me, Levi, you don't want to do this." Not only was she trying to protect Junior from getting hurt, she was also trying to protect her husband from hurting himself. The Levi she had come to know would never hit their children. He was just as protective over them as he was over her. Right now he just lost control and was acting out of blind rage. She knew for a fact that once he calmed down, he would beat himself up for it.

"Levi, please don't do it," Mikasa persisted, but the struggle was still on. At this point, she knew only one thing that would make him change his mind. Taking a deep breath, she leaned in until she was close to his ear, "Levi right now I need you to…"

What Mikasa said was between no one but the two of them, and as Mikasa had hoped, she had managed to get to him. The more she spoke, the less Levi struggled against her until he just gave up and let go of Junior's collar.

Mikasa stepped back and allowed Levi room to calm down while Junior was recovering from what had just happened.

She then walked up to her son and helped him up. She had still had to get him out of the area, so she was kind of hoping that little moment may have rattled him a bit. She then proceeded to place her hands on his shoulder and talk to him, "Junior, I may not…" she started but stopped once she realised the reason he was being so stubborn in the first place.

"Junior. I know that what that titan did to you back then has probably given you the urge to fight back, but right now I'm telling you that you cannot fight it. At least not now," she started and when she saw he was listening, she continued, "Junior, I understand, very well, what it means to want to get back at the ones that hurt the people you care about. Trust me, I've been in this position multiple times, and it took your father and your uncles, on multiple occasions, to set me straight. I know I'm not perfect and I can still act like that sometimes, but I've come to learn that it is not every battle that I can fight."

"But, mom. Irene… Irene protected me and I failed to do the same for her," Junior started, the look of frustration forming on his face, "I promised to myself that I would pay her back as soon as this titan showed up again."

Mikasa smiled at him. He reminded her somewhat of herself. He had found someone that he was more than willing to fight for with his own life. Unlike her, he wasn't exactly as skilled as she was when she was his age, and he still had a long way to go. Right now, he was still figuring things out and still needed to be protected before he could protect. "Junior, right now I'm telling you to go back to your squad and fight with them. If you're worried about Irene, then remember that she's got a squad watching her back. So please, listen to me and go back to your squad."

"…Fine," Junior nodded after a few seconds had passed.

"Great, so do you remember where your squad was before you left?"

"They were in the South East direction," Junior explained while motioning behind him, "I think I'll find them if I go now."

"You get going then," Mikasa said before stepping away from Junior.

"Bye mom," he said before looking beyond her, "dad…"

"Go!"

"…y-yes, sir." With that, Junior ran towards the edge and flew off, leaving his parents on their own.

_Don't get hurt out there._

"How is it that you always defend him?"

Mikasa turned around and found her husband looking at her. Believe it or not, she had heard that question numerous times before. She knew Junior and Levi have had a lot of altercations in the past, be it over things as mundane as chores to serious issues like Levi never supporting his interests. The two have had their fair share of fights. She had always found herself to be a mediator of sorts.

"Levi, he's a teenage boy," Mikasa responded as she walked up to him, "it's normal for them to have outbursts like that. Your words, not mine."

"If you're okay with being manhandled by him, that's your problem. Next time he does something like that. You won't hold me back," he stated to which Mikasa nodded in response. He then turned to look in the direction the titan had waked off in. In the distance, they could see it still walking. It was dangerously close to the park at this point. He then turned back to look at her, "how are you feeling?"

"My back feels like shit, but I think I can still fight," she responded before she saw Levi reach into his jacket and pulled something out.

"Irene told me about that little stunt you pulled so I made sure to pick this up for you," he said as he handed her a gas canister.

"Thanks," she responded before she started to fill her tank.

Beep! The gear went, signifying that it was full. Mikasa looked back at Levi and saw him already ready to go after the titan. After a silent exchange, the two nodded before jetting after the titan.

This time Mikasa wasn't going let it get away for sure.

* * *

_Ah shit, I screwed up bad…_

Junior cursed under his breath as he flew through the air. He felt like a jerk right now. His mom had sacrificed the last of her gas and cushioned his fall with her own body, yet all he did was act like a total dick about it. Even worse, she saved him from getting the shit beaten out of him by his dad and even gave him a little pep talk to help him start fighting again. At this point, he was starting to think he should've received that punch.

Aside from the drama that had just occurred not long ago, there was another issue at hand. He couldn't find his squad mates. They were here the last time he saw them but it was like they had completely vanished. Maybe he would spot them if he got to a better vantage point. He looked around until he spotted a tall building he assumed was a broadcast studio.

"Ugh," he grunted as after landing on the building. He then decided to get a 360-degree view of the city, taking in each and every sight. He was able to spot the titans being fought in the distance by several scouts. When he took into account the different squads fighting, they all the sufficient number of soldiers so none of them was his team.

"Where are they?' he asked himself, his eyes still searching the area. He was going to be in some shit after all this was over. Not only for abandoning his squad, but also for that little stunt he pulled with his mom. All the negative thoughts aside though. Looking at the city from so high above was starting to give Junior other ideas. "Damn, I feel like Ezio right now," he chuckled to himself. The only thing was that there wasn't any hay to dive into on the ground.

A familiar loud screeching snapped Junior out of his fantasy and when he turned to find the source, his eyes landed on a titan, not so far away from him. The beast was hunched over by building, trying to stick its hand through its doors. If the titan was acting like that, then there was most likely a person trapped within that building. A person that was really in need of help.

Junior prepared to shoot his hooks at a nearby building to propel himself forwards and just when he got a running start, he froze right at the edge.

He didn't know why, but that titan started looking scarier than it did before. He was telling himself to go forwards but his own body didn't budge. It was moments like this that helped Junior realise how much of an idiot he could be sometimes.

He glanced back in the direction he came from ad saw that the abnormal titan was already being engaged by his parents. The same abnormal titan that he was so dead set on killing that he didn't realise how close he was to dying. "I'm so fucking stupid," he sighed. He was so much trapped in his own little fantasy that he ditched his squad and tried to go up against some intelligent titan when he hadn't even killed a single normal titan yet.

He then looked back in the direction of the regular titan and it was still fixated on that building. He took in a deep breath and stood straight, keeping eyes fixated the titan. Things didn't have to be same forever. He didn't always have to be that coward that's tough from a distance but a total pussy up close. He gripped the handles of his gear tightly, getting ready to launch his attack on the titan. He may not be able to take down the strange titan today, but he was sure as hell going to take down a titan, and this was going to be his first.

"Alright, let's go!" He said before shooting his hooks at a nearby building, propelling him into the air at high speeds.

_You've got this Junior. This is just one measly titan. It's not supposed to be a problem for you. You're fucking Levi Ackerman Jr. You're the one who's supposed to strike fear in these beasts, not the other way around. I mean, how are you supposed to have Irene's back when you can't even take down a single regular titan._

Junior felt himself gain a little bit of courage as he encouraged himself to fight. He looked ahead and he saw that the titan was much closer.

_You've got this!_

"Hey, ugly!" he yelled, bringing out his swords.

The titan looked away from the building and towards him. It opened its mouth for a roar and reached out to him.

Junior shot right past its hands and landed onto the beside it. He ran across the roof, keeping his eyes locked onto it. If he was fast enough, he would be able to take it down.

The titan rose to its feet and dashed right at him, leaping into the air so as to catch him on the roof.

"Shit!" Junior shouted before launching himself into the air, seconds before the titan's hand could grab him. He watched as the titan fell onto the building he hopped off, landing stomach first onto the concrete.

_This is it!_

He shot the hooks below him and forced himself downwards and onto the titan, forcing his blades through its nape. He felt its slight struggles below him before it finally gave in and died.

"I did it," Junior said in disbelief before hopping off the beast and onto the ground below. He could feel his heart beating and limbs trembling due to the thrill he had just experienced. He had just killed a titan. His first titan. He… he just killed a titan.

"I did it!" he yelled this time, "I fucking did it!" He then dropped his blades and brought his hands to rest on his hips as he tried to regain his breath. He then looked back at the corpse "You thought you could mess with me. Levi Ackerman Jr. In your dreams!"

After his little moment of celebration, Junior decided to look back at the building that the titan was trying to get into. "Rose's Photo Studio," he read the words at the top of the building, "Couldn't they come up with different names. I swear this Rose business is getting annoying."

He then picked up his blades and sheathed them in their holsters. Now that he killed the damn thing, he may as well check to see any survivors.

"Hello!" he called after opening the doors, but was met with nothing but a silent and empty shop. He then took a step inside and looked around the room. There were just numerous photos on the walls and a few desks around.

"Hello, is anyone there?" he called again, looking around. There had got to be someone in here for that titan to be so interested in the place. "Hello, I'm not going to hurt you, please just…" he trailed on when felt something wrap around his leg.

"What the?" he said before looking downwards to see a head of ash-brown hair.

"Please take me to Papa…" Pierre whimpered as he held onto Junior's leg, not seeming to want to let go.

Junior crouched a bit to pick the child up and brought him to rest against his hip. Is this where the kid had been all along, in some photo studio. Though, it actually made sense that he would come here. His father was a photographer, so he must've associated this place with him. That was actually a pretty smart move on the kid's part.

"Okay, I'll get you back to your papa, alright kiddo?" he said before ruffling his hair, the big brother in him already coming into play. It didn't take him long to realise that had it not been for his mother's intervention that Pierre could've been gone by now.

"Really?' he asked, looking at Junior with his big brown eyes. The willingness to trust already in them.

Junior couldn't help but smile at him. Despite looking like that dickwad father of his, the boy was so adorable with those cheeks of his. Enough, cooing over the kid. There was still some intense battle going on out there. Though, another issue presented itself. How was he going to travel with Pierre? It wasn't like these ODMs came with built in baby carriers.

He could still carry him in his arms, but it was risky. Though, it wasn't like he had any other choice. He looked back at the boy, "Pierre. I'm going to take you back to your papa but we're gonna have to work together alright."

"Okay."

**Hey guys. Thanks for reading this little chapter here. I hope you enjoyed all the action and the little bits of drama I threw in on there. I mean, Junior nearly got smoked by his own dad. Luckily good ol' Mikasa stepped in for him, huh. Well, if Mikasa hadn't saved his ass, we may not have seen little Pierre Kirschtein again so thank the forts for Mikasa's protectiveness.**

**Anyways, I really shouldn't talk much because you've got another chapter to read. Well…**

**See you there!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys. Welcome back to another chapter of HSF. I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter because I sure did have fun writing it. I hope ya'll are great in this quarantine time and I hope this little fic is doing you a favour and saving you from the boredom. Fun fact: The Battle for Rose was actually supposed to be one huge chapter but I felt it would be too much so I broke it down. Hope it still flows nicely though.**

**Anyways, I won't spend much time talking here. Enjoy.**

**THE BATTLE FOR ROSE II**

With the hiss of gas, Mikasa shot herself forward, keeping her eyes locked on the beast ahead. The titan was very close to the park now, but they had managed to catch up to it.

_You won't survive this time._

Mikasa pulled out a pair of blades from the holsters in readiness to take down the beast. She just had to use enough gas and she'd beat it before it could crystalize itself.

"Mikasa wait," Levi called from his position flying beside her, "you shouldn't attack it."

"What, why?" Mikasa asked, somewhat surprised by the sudden order. As far as she knew, they were pursuing it to attack it, so what was he talking about.

Levi pushed himself a little further until he was flying in front of her. He then turned so he could look her in the eyes, "From what you told me back when we first got here, dealing with that titan is no walk in the park. Attacking it is going to be risky, especially for you, considering the fact that you're already injured."

"Seriously?" Mikasa asked. She could understand his reasoning but she wasn't in agreement with it, "So what do you expect me to do then? You can't just expect me to sit back and watch while people keep on risking their lives out there."

"Like hell I'd ever let you laze your fat ass around."

"…Excuse me!"

"Relax Mrs. Ackerman. It was just a joke," Levi responded before glancing back in the direction of the titan, "what I really need you to do is to distract the damn thing."

"Distract it?"

"Yes, distract it,' Levi confirmed, "I want you grab its attention so I can ambush it," he explained before his expression morphed into a rather grave one, "I need to make it pay for nearly killing my squad member-and for making my boy cry."

"…understood," Mikasa nodded before Levi turned away from her and returned his focus what was in front of them. She couldn't help but ponder about the fact that Levi had the exact same intentions as Junior. This was another thing to add to the long list of what they had in common that Mikasa had been personally making. She was definitely going to bring this up if Levi got into one of those moods when he starts asking if Junior was really his son.

"Mikasa now!" she heard him shout, snapping her out of her thoughts. She then nodded before jetting towards the titan. She went high enough that she landed right on its head.

"Hey, don't even think about attacking those people without taking me down first!" she called out to it, but got no response. She then decided to sink her blades into its skull to perhaps catch it by inflicting pain, but to no avail. Instead of the titan reacting to her, it only started to sprint towards the park, forcing her to hop off of it.

For some reason, the titan wasn't even interested in her. It seemed to be solely focussed on getting to the park, puzzling her in the process. However, it didn't take her too long to realise what it could be after.

"Levi, I don't think distracting it will work!" Mikasa called out to him, "it's only interested in getting to the park. I think it's after Irene!"

"Tch, damn bastard doesn't learn huh." Levi snarled before looking back at Mikasa, "Okay then, change of plans. Let's immobilize it before it can get any closer!"

"Understood!" Mikasa nodded before looking back at the titan. It was moving extremely fast, almost too fast for her to catch up to.

As though sensing her uncertainty, Levi called out to her, "Let me give you a boost!" he said before shooting forward and Mikasa, already knowing what he was going for, followed suit.

In a quick motion, Mikasa grabbed onto Levi's arms and he spun her with enough force that it sent her flying at even greater speeds, the wind blowing more violently in her hair as she added the force of the gas and pushed her even farther.

When she got close enough, Mikasa shot the hook at one of the cars on the ground and propelled herself downwards, slicing at the spot above the heel of its left foot, erupting a screech from it before it lost its footing and headed towards the ground.

The titan landed on all fours on the ground, breathing heavily as it tried to regain its composure.

_It's been weakened. Now's my chance._

With a grunt, Mikasa shot herself forward, towards its nape, blades held tightly in her hands, itching to finally put the damn beast down—permanently.

"This is it!" She said, readying her blades. It was right when she close to stabbing it, that she noticed a large shadow looming over her and when she looked, there was a giant hand right above her.

However, it was as soon as the hand appeared that she noticed a blur and the hand fell onto the back, leaving nothing but a stump in its place.

Thinking fast, Mikasa shot herself away from the titan and latched herself onto a building. She found herself watching as the blur, who she had just acknowledged to be Levi, continued to launch its attack on the beast.

The titan forced itself to its feet with its not severed hand and proceeded to try and hop away. Unfortunately for it, Levi wasn't planning on letting it go any time soon.

She watched as Levi took action by first spinning down its other leg, leaving a trail of blood geysers right after him. He then shot himself into the air as the titan stumbled and fell back on its back side.

Still trying to fight back, the titan leaned forward and flailed its hands around it in hopes of catching or at least swatting Levi away.

Big mistake.

In a swift moment, Levi shot towards it, spinning rapidly as he sliced around its right arm, erupting a shriek from it. Without wasting time, he went and did the same to the other arm, leaving it with no functional limbs in a mess of steam and blood.

Mikasa flinched at the sound of the titan's shrieks as Levi continued to brutalize it. They sounded less like threatening roars and more like pleas for help. Perhaps Levi could just get to killing the damn thing already.

Before Levi could instil more damage onto it, a loud shriek-like roar could be heard from the distance. The strange thing was that the shriek was extremely loud, so loud that Mikasa felt her ribcage vibrate, but then it didn't even come from the strange titan and there were no titans nearby.

_Where is that coming from?_

Mikasa found herself covering her ears as the sound was just too loud. Still, the sound could not be blocked out.

A long thirty seconds later and the roaring stopped. Mikasa brought her hands away from her ears as she tried to regain her composure. She looked to the ground below and saw that the titan was lying lifeless on the ground. She sighed in relief at the fact that it was dead. For good this time.

"Shit, my head."

Mikasa turned and found Levi standing behind her, a hand resting on his head as he panted. "How bad is it?"

"Not bad enough to be much of a problem," he responded before straightening himself up and walking towards the edge of the building, grabbing a fresh pair of blades as he walked. He then stopped when he looked at the ground below him. "It's dead?"

_Wait, what?_

"Wait, you didn't kill it?" She asked, walking up to stand next to him.

"No," he shook his head, "I didn't even cut its nape. That fucking noise messed me up," he said before sheathing his blades again. He then looked back up at her, "this is the same thing that happened to you back when you fought it, right?"

Mikasa nodded in response as she kept staring at the corpse on the ground as it slowly started to evaporate. Her relief immediately disappeared as she had just realised that the titan had somehow survived yet again. What was it that made that titan so special that it could just die and resurrect again? She had just messed up her back and used up a lot of gas for nothing?

"We should get back to the centre and reconvene with the rest of the squad," Levi spoke, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Oh oka…" Mikasa stopped when she felt the floor beneath her start to rumble. The two of them stayed silent, as though to listen to it and it kept on getting louder and louder with each passing second. It was only after the rumbling got strong enough to almost make her lose her balance that she realised what was happening.

There were titans—a lot of tians—running towards the centre. It was like they were all running after something in particular as they ignored all the scouts that were flying all over the place. They charged forward, the larger ones even stepping on and tripping over the smaller ones. Whatever they were after must've been pretty special.

"The more we stand here and watch, the closer they get to killing us all," Levi said as he started to approach the edge of the building, "Come on, let's get going before the entire city ends up being titan fodder," he said before flying off the building.

"…right,' Mikasa said, taking a moment to look back at the titans before following him.

* * *

"Hey kid, are you alright?"

Irene's eyes shot open before she sat up, breathing heavily. Her eyes darted around in panic as she tried to register the current situation in her mind. She remembered flying to check on the area on the South side of the park and now here she was, having woken up on the grass.

"Kid?"

She followed the voice until her blue eyes met a pair of ember ones belonging to a woman, a ginger haired, Garrison soldier "…What happened?"

"You were flying towards us when that loud roar was heard and you just blacked out in the middle of the air," the woman explained.

Irene groaned as she remembered the events before she blacked out. That loud roar had been so intense it literally knocked her out. She knew off a fact that that was a titan, but for some odd reason she couldn't decipher its meaning. All it sounded like was a call, but for what? All she could do was cringe at the memory of the noise. She would have of think about it once—if—they got rid of the titans.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of trying to protect an entire city," another woman, whom she recognised to be Rico from the meeting, spoke. "So if you don't mind, save the daydreaming for a time when thousands of lives aren't on the line."

"Here let me help you up," the ginger offered a hand, which Irene took and used to rise to her feet with a bit of a struggle.

"Thanks," she said, dusting herself off.

"She's on her feet again. Great," Rico said before looking at the ginger, "now come on Petra, we have a job to do and I believe she has, too."

"Of course," Petra nodded at Rico before looking back at Irene and offering her a good luck before running after Rico.

"Well, I guess I better get back to work," Irene said before grabbing onto her gear to prepare to take to the sky.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Seriously…" she groaned when she heard the beeping sound. Did her gas really have to start finishing right then—at that exact moment? How inconveniencing. She was definitely going to have a chat with Section Commander Hange about the capacity of the gas tanks because someone was definitely going to end up in an even worse situation than the one she was in.

Irene's train of thoughts came to a halt once she felt the ground vibrate, violently beneath her feet.

_What's going on?_

The sound of hissing gas tanks could be heard before Mrs. Ackerman and the Captain came and landed right in front of her. "Captain, do you have any idea what this vibration is?"

"Titans," he responded, "a lot of them, and they're heading this way."

_Titans? Wait… could it mean that…_

"Smith, where's Meyer and Leonhart?" the Captain asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts once again.

"Oh, no one has seen Doug ever since you sent him on his punishment," Irene answered, recalling that Doug had, indeed, been sent away by the Captain to do some punishment because of how he looked earlier. "As for Annie…" She then looked in the direction of the building that Annie had been stationed on. There was no sign of her anywhere. Had she ran off too?

"Tch, you know what. Forget it. I'll deal with you guys later," the captain started, looking completely annoyed, "Right now, there's a horde of those nasty sons of bitches on their way here. We should focus on protecting the citizens. Come on." He said before he started to walk towards one of the buildings, Irene and Mikasa followed suit.

As the two Ackermans shot themselves onto the building, Irene took a moment to re-acknowledge her low gas supply before finally shooting herself onto the building to join the two.

As she walked up to stand beside them, she got a clear view of the titans running towards the area. There were much more than she had originally thought, easily out numbering the number of Scouts fighting them, "there's like over a hundred of them."

"And there's less than fifty of us," Mikasa responded without turning away from the scene, "but that hasn't stopped us from fighting."

As Irene continued to watch the titans, she also took notice of the fact that they were falling to the ground one by one. Unless she was just seeing things, she was certain she could see black blurs flying around them as they ran towards the centre. They must've taken advantage of the fact that the titans weren't focused on them anymore.

_Smart._

"Erwin must have brainwashed them the same way he did when he got them to join," the Captain was the one to comment before he unsheathed a pair of swords, "enough staring at the damn beasts, we're supposed to be fighting them," He said, prompting the two also unsheathe their swords.

"Ready when you are, Captain," Irene said, holding onto her blades tightly as she prepared herself to go airborne. Even if she would most definitely be running on fumes when she got to attack the titans, she was still going to give it her all out there. All she had to do was find a way to be more economic with her gas, but then how would she be able to do that when she was going to be fighting titans.

"Are you sure about that, Smith?" The Captain's voice brought her back to reality.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Your gas," he started, glancing at her gear and then back up at her, "it won't even last you ten minutes out there," he continued, "are you sure you want to risk it?"

"…I have an option?"

"You have the option to not get yourself killed," he deadpanned, "so what will it be, Smith?"

Irene went silent. She had the option to sit back and let what was left of her gas remain idle while so many people out there were fighting, some of them with probably less gas than her, but they were still fighting. Most people would jump at such an opportunity but being the kind of person she was, the blood of Commander Erwin Smith flowing inside her, Irene would much rather fight the titans regardless of the fact that she's most likely be airborne for only a few minutes, "Captain, I'm going to…"

"Stay here and take cover," the Captain finished for her.

"…But Captain I"

"would much rather fight the titans regardless of the fact that you may not even last a minute in the air?" he completed. Was the Captain secretly psychic or something? Because there was no way it was by chance that he'd be able to know what she was thinking. "Kid, you're going to have to sit this one out, and that's an order."

Before Irene could even bring up her argument, the captain had already gotten off the building, Mikasa not too far behind him, leaving the blonde on her own having been ordered to sit it out.

_What happened to me having an option?_

She sighed as she watched the onslaught before her eyes, the titans still reducing as the Scouts fought them with whatever resources they still had left. She still wanted to go out and fight alongside her fellow Scouts. If she was given that opportunity, she'd definitely give it her all.

Though, if she was being completely honest with herself. It wasn't entirely only about wanting to fight for people. Another part her was doing it with herself in mind. Ever since she went to stay with her father and joined the Scouts, she felt like she was a part of something. When she spent time surrounded by the other Scouts, hanging out with the people she called friends, having made so many memories together. All of that made her feel amazing. It made her feel like she finally belonged somewhere.

Being ordered to stand down, for reasons unknown definitely wasn't doing her any good. Right now, all she felt was left out and all that did was remind her of… no she wasn't going to think about it. This was neither the time nor the place for that. She was on the battlefield, not her bed so it was completely unnecessary for her to start bawling her eyes out. Besides, she only acted this way when she was living with him.

_Ugh, why did I have to think of him?_

Irene's mind began to wander even deeper. This was definitely the last thing she wanted to think about, not now of all times especially. However, it was like her mind just kept on doing whatever it wanted to do.

"_You stay away from me!"_

"_Come on Irene. Just listen to me."_

"_And why the hell would I do that. Ever since you showed up, you've done nothing but ruin my life. First you show up brainwash my mom until you steal her from my dad. Then you decided to take me away from him and try to force me to live as part of this 'happy family' of yours. Then you came up to me, promising to take me to my dad and then you do this to me. For once, I trusted you and then you go ahead and take advantage of me, turning me into some sort of lab rat. Why would you do that to me!"_

"_Irene, please calm down. This is not the time to do this. Right now it's dinner time and everyone's waiting for us downstairs. Let's just go down and have a nice family dinner."_

"_Family dinner? There you go again, trying to make me do stuff that you want and act like everything's magically alright. Listen to me and just leave me alone. I don't want to be anywhere near you, or that 'family dinner' of yours."_

"_Hey, what's going on in here?"_

"_Ugh, Marie. She's being difficult again… do something."_

"_Irene, what's the matter with you. Your father…"_

"_Mom, for the last time. That man is not my father!"_

"_Irene, don't say things like that."_

_"And why shouldn't I, mom? I'm just stating the truth. My father is out fighting for thousands of lives, ours included. This man, is not my father. He's just a jealous, greedy, lying homewrecker that couldn't just accept that you were happy with someone else!"_

"_Irene!"_

"_Mom, for once would you stop defending him! You don't even… ugh! Get out of my room!"_

"…_Irene, calm down."_

"_Get out!"_

It took being shoved to bring Irene back to reality.

"I heard you Scouts were crazy, but I had no idea this was how insane you really were" Mackenzie, the one that had shoved her, said.

"What's going on?" Irene asked looking around, somewhat confused.

"There's no time for explanations right now," Mackenzie said, offering a hand to help the blonde up, "but I think you'll get it sooner or later."

Irene took the blonde's hand and rose to her feet. It didn't take long for her to notice the large figure lying flat on the roof, covering the exact position she had been standing on.

_Did I zone out that much?_

She looked around and noticed that the titans had actually started running into the centre, Scouts trying their best to fight them off.

"Listen Irene I've got a job to do saving the citizens down there, and I think it would be pretty cool to if you got back to doing yours too," She said before jumping off the building and propelling herself back into the traffic.

Irene looked back and noticed a titan in the air above her. Without the training she had received as a soldier, Irene would've been a pancake.

She propelled herself onto the air and allowed the titan to land on the roof before coming back down, stabbing its. Immediately after killing the titan, another one jumped and actually hopped over the building s and landed in the park, erupting numerous screams from civilians and soldiers alike.

With one thought in mind, Irene rushed to jump off the building and propelled herself towards the titan. She was going to have to latch onto its neck for a clean cut. Those citizens weren't going to make it if it somehow survived her attack. She had to take it down in one go.

As Irene planned her attack, she hadn't noticed that the beeping from her gear had ultimately ceased and once she latched onto the titan's torso, she was surprised when her gear didn't propel her forwards, but immediately braced herself as she hit the ground.

"You can't be done now. Not now of all times," she groaned as she got up. Right now her gas was done and there was a titan in the centre of the park. The worst thing was the fact that she couldn't do anything to stop the damn beast.

As if things couldn't get any worse, titans started to flood into the park area. Scouts trying their best to fight them. Unless she was hearing things, Irene swore she could hear the continuous beeps coming from the Scouts. They weren't too far off from ending up in her situation.

"Help me! Help me please!" she heard a man shout and immediately turned to see a Garrison soldier being gorged on by a titan.

"Please not my kids, spare them please!" a woman shouted from somewhere behind her.

"No! Leave him alone!"

"I'm sorry mommy. I'm sorry for being such a bad girl. Please forgive me!"

Irene winced as the cries started to become many. The titans had already started to overrun the park and were gorging on every person they could get their hands on.

"Hey everyone calm down!" she heard a soldier shout, "no ma'am, don't leave your car!"

"Help!"

Irene felt herself getting overwhelmed by everything that was going on around her. So many people were dying. Soldiers and civilians were being devoured whole. The titans didn't seem to be concerned with the type of person regardless of age, gender, race. Everyone was being eaten alive.

She could see her fellow Scouts running out of gas and crashing all over the place. Others being eaten alive by the titans or just being crushed by their gigantic frames.

"Oh my leg! My leg!"

"Let go of me! Please!"

"Eren! Eren no!"

_Make it stop._

Irene could do nothing but watch as everything unfolded before her eyes. Humanity was actually losing right now. All that training, all going to waste. After dedicating an entire year to preparing to bring down these vile beasts with some complicated gear and learning so many different skills doing training. All that amounted to nothing. And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

_Unless…_

"No!" Irene shook her head. She wasn't supposed to let that side of her come out. Especially when so many people were around to see her. What would people think if she just revealed herself like that? There had got to be another way to deal with this.

_Right?_

"What the!" Irene shouted before dodging an incoming titan's head. She looked back to see a Scout standing atop a titan corpse, unaware of the one currently approaching him from behind. "Adam watch out!" she shouted but was too late as the sneaking titan already grabbed him and brought him to its mouth.

"No…" Irene muttered, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. So many people were dying out there and she had somehow ended up spectating everything unfold when she already knew she could do something about it. She couldn't help but start to mentally condemn herself for how selfish she was being. She could do something about this, but she didn't. Why? Because she was afraid, afraid that people would never see her the same way once she decided to let a part of her out and there was nothing that would convince her otherwise as her own mother had acted that way to her before.

"Calm down sir, we're just trying to get you to safety."

"No, that thing stepped on my car! My family's in that car!"

"Come on, everybody! Give it everything you've got!"

"Mommy! Leave my mommy alone!"

"Scouts, do not yield. Do not feel defeated when the battle isn't even done!" a familiar voice shouted, catching Irene's attention, "Thousands of lives are dependent on us right now because we are their best chance at survival. In as much as we'd hate to believe it, their lives and the lives of many to come rest in our hands. Therefore, I urge you to keep on standing your ground. I urge you to keep on fighting!"

_Dad._

Then there was her father. A man who got something done as soon as he set his mind to it and never stepped down regardless of the number of adversaries in front of him.

She glanced around and saw him take down a titan, his face; stoic and determined, showing no signs of fear or doubt at all. His ability to keep himself held together was one of the things she had come to admire about her father and it was one of the reasons she tried her best to be like him. To be able to look death in the eye without so much as batting an eye is something she would definitely love to be able to do.

Yet here she was, afraid because people would judge her for her secret. Because she was scared of being looked at differently because she was ashamed of who she really was.

"Josh, no!"

"I should've just become a farmer. Not this. I can't believe how stupid I was to listen to that man!"

"Die, you disgusting son of a bitch!"

Even after the encouragement, people were still getting injured, people were still dying. No, she couldn't just watch while all this was happening. She was being selfish, only thinking about herself when there were so many people worth much more than keeping her abilities secret. She had made a choice. It was a hard one, but if it meant seeing people safe again, that people could be as happy as they were mere hours ago, then she was going to do it.

She wide straightened herself out as she braced herself for what she was going to do. She took a moment to glance around in order to remind herself why she was doing what she was about to do. There were things more important, lives at stake and she knew doing this might—just might—give everyone a shot to survive.

She lifted her hands to form a cone over her mouth and inhaled deeply. Still feeling a bit uncertain, Irene decided to glance around and it seemed like everyone was too preoccupied to have even notice anything else when they were fighting for their lives. They wouldn't even notice her doing it.

Realizing that she had exhaled already, Irene readied herself again and inhaled, she didn't know if anyone would see her but she hoped for the best.

_Well here goes._

* * *

Sharp blades ripped off skin as Mikasa flew through the air, having just sliced another titan. When she and Levi had decided to join the fight to keep the titans at bay, they had discovered that there were way more titans than they had expected and even less Scouts than they originally had.

At this point she had killed several of them and, yet, when she looked around, she still saw a lot of them approaching the centre. She was running out of gas and blades and the fact that they didn't seem to be ending didn't seem to make things any easier.

She had caught a glimpse of her husband taking down a titan not so far away from where she was. Judging by the look on his face and how rough he had gotten with killing them, she could tell that he was equally frustrated.

_Can't you all just die already?_

Mikasa once again sliced at the neck of another titan, sending it to the ground while she perched up on a building.

"This is my last pair," Mikasa said as she replaced the blunt blades with her last pair of sharp ones. When she looked around at the number of titans, she knew her blades wouldn't last her through all of them. Still, she was going to fight. She had people to protect and she wasn't just going to sit back while they were in danger.

"Time for round four," she said, readying herself for flight, she had already set her eyes on a particular titan, about ten metres, not too far from where she was. She was going to take that one down first. Now all she had to do was wait until.

It was a loud voice that made Mikasa freeze in place. It wasn't a titan because the sound sounded nothing like any titan's roar she had ever heard. So what was it? All she could tell was that it came from the centre. Well, away from that, she still had a titan to kill.

When she looked back at the titan, she found herself surprised to see that it had stopped walking and was just standing there. She looked around and saw that it wasn't the only one that had stopped dead in its tracks. It was like they had all been taken control of by some spell.

They all looked hungry, but stayed in their positions, even one of them that currently had a scout hanging above it's open mouth had frozen in place, the Scout staring down at it.

_The hell is going on here?_

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who had been dumbfounded as all the other scouts had stopped to look at the frozen titans. It was unusual to see the man eating beasts suddenly so still, yet it was somewhat a relief to many of the Scouts as a good number of them started to use the moment to catch their breath. If the titans were going to give them some sort of break, they may as well just take it.

**Erwin: Soldiers, take advantage of the situation. Take on the titans now that they've been immobilised. Let's not waste this opportunity.**

Alongside the other soldiers, Mikasa took into the skies, already beginning to take down the titans. Erwin was right, they were better off fighting now and resting later than having to suffer once they started moving again.

It didn't take long for the sound of other gears was heard and the Garrisons had also taken to the skies, joining the Scouts in taking down the creature that was currently at the top of the food chain.

Everything went by quickly, titans falling onto the ground, in varying amounts, as the soldiers took them down. Eventually, the last of the titans were taken down, signalling that their battle had been won. Fort Rose was still standing and many of its inhabitants would live to see another day.

* * *

About an hour had passed since the battle had ended and the fort's inhabitants had already started to get back to their business. Many people had already started heading back to their homes—or what was left of them—while others had continued to head back to the northern part of the fort. The Garrisons had gotten to work, taking away all the corpses or what was left of them away while the grieving citizens were trying their best to keep it together.

As sad as it was, nature had taken its course. People had died, leaving behind countless families without anyone to care for them. As sad as it was to see people break down the way they did, there was nothing that could be done about it. Life just had to move on. Everyone just had to move on.

"Eren, how's your head feeling?" Mikasa asked from her position seated across Eren, keeping a concerned gaze on the brunette's bandaged head. If a Scout had not died, then they had suffered an injury of sort. Luckily, none had lost any of their limbs.

"It's fine," Eren spoke, wincing a bit from the pain he probably felt. He then frowned, "but there are others that are suffering worse than I am because those…bastards decided to make a meal out of them. I swear once I get back out there."

"Relax honey," Historia said from beside him, "we've just barely survived and you're already thinking about fighting them."

"Classic Eren for you," Armin sighed before looking at Mikasa, "how're you feeling, Mikasa. I don't see any bandages on you?"

"Oh, me?" Mikasa asked, having somewhat forgotten about the back injury she suffered not long ago. But now that it had been mentioned, the pain started coming back again, "just a small back injury. Nothing serious."

"I'm glad to hear it," Armin smiled at her before frowning, "it's sad seeing how many people have died today."

"How many exactly have died?" Eren looked at him.

"Well, according to what I've heard from the Garrisons, about fifty civilians and ten Garrisons," He started, "as for the Scouts, no exact number had been determined but all that I know is that we're less than thirty now."

"Less than thirty?" Historia asked, looking somewhat terrified, "that's terrible."

"I know right," Eren answered, "how are we even supposed to fight like this."

"That's the problem with you. All you ever do is think about fighting," Historia complained.

"Well excuse me, Historia," Eren retorted, "I'm just thinking about the future here. Unlike you, I don't want my kids entering a world where all they can do is be afraid."

Historia sighed, "there you go on about kids again."

"Hey, what can a guy do when he's been married for so long without even having a single kid," Eren answered, "I mean, look at Mikasa, we're practically the same age and she's already a mother of four."

_Seriously? How do you people always forget? _

"Hey, just because she's had a lot of time on her hands doesn't mean it's the same for everyone else."

_A lot of time on my hands… ugh, that's it. I'm going to bed._

Mikasa rose from her seat, immediately catching everyone's attention. Before anyone could question the sudden action, "goodnight guys."

With that, the Half-Asian walked away from the group and began to make her way back to their shared room. Right now, she was exhausted and needed to get some serious rest, especially since her back was killing her. She was going to need a pack of pain killers to get through all that.

"Mikasa."

Mikasa stopped at the sound of her name and turned to meet Levi's gaze, "Levi?"

It took the man a moment to walk up to her and look her up and down as though examining her. He only brought his eyes to meet hers after he was done, "how's your back doing?"

"It's nothing serious. I'll be fine," Mikasa responded, calmly, "All I'll need is just a nice hot…ouch!" she said before hissing in pain, "what was that for?" she asked as Levi had pressed his palm against the small of her back without warning and it hurt her terribly.

"I was testing to see how bad it was," he responded plainly before sighing, his facial expression softening, "you should go and rest, alright. That fall you took for that brat has really messed your back up and I don't want things getting any worse. I want you to go and wait for me in our room. I'm going to talk to Erwin right now, but once I'm done, I'm going to come take care of you."

Mikasa smiled at the shorter man in front of her. Despite being cold and ruthless most of the time, Levi could be such a sweet guy sometimes. It was these things that he'd do that made Mikasa have a hard time staying mad at him whenever he pissed her off. He always knew just how to get her smiling again.

Mikasa then leaned in and placed a kiss of his lips for a few seconds before pulling away, "I love you Mr. Ackerman."

Levi returned her smile with one of his own, "you too, Mrs. Ackerman," he responded before turning around and starting to walk away, "see you soon."

"I'll be waiting," Mikasa called back as she also decided to continue on her journey back to their room. She was now excited for tonight. She was wondering what he could possibly have in store for her.

As she continued on her journey to her room, she continued to let her mind run on. She then remembered her family. She definitely had to make a call and find out how everyone was doing. Her dad, her mom, the kids, and…

"Junior!" Mikasa gasped, she hadn't seen or heard from her first born son ever since she told him to leave the strange titan to her. Her maternal instincts already going into overdrive as her eyes darted all over the place.

_Where are you? Where the hell are you, Junior?_

Levi could wait. Right now, she had to go grab her gear and go look for him. He wasn't dead, he was most likely just hiding in some building or went looking for his grandparents. Yes, that was the reasonable explanation.

"Papa!"

The little voice snapped the half-Asian out of panic mode. She looked around and to her shock, she saw a familiar little French boy running up to his father.

"Pierre?" Jean asked, from his position next to Marco after bringing his hunched form to sit up straight. He then looked around and completely softened up when he saw the child run up to him. "Pierre!" he shouted, hopping off of his seat and running towards his son, scooping him up with his arms ad bringing him to his chest, "Pierre, oh my God, Pierre I missed you so much!" Jean said, tears running down his face.

"I missed you too Papa," the toddler replied, hugging his father with all the strength his little arms could muster.

Mikasa felt her innards warm up at the sight before her. They both looked so happy with their tears and everything, and it all just looked so damn cute. She could definitely see the happy look on Marco's face and she could easily relate with him.

Now there was another question on her mind. Who had found him?

As if having read her mind, Jean popped the question, "Um Pierre, my little angel," he started, catching they boy's attention, "who brought you to Papa?"

"Oh, the nice man brought me to you."

"Which nice man?"

Pierre looked over his father's shoulder and pointed, "the nice man over there."

Mikasa, along with Jean and Marco's eyes followed the direction in which Pierre pointed and to their surprise, the nice man was

"Junior?" Jean asked, looking somewhat sceptical at the young Ackerman. The two didn't exactly get along, but it wasn't comparable to the relationship between Jean and Eren, so it must have been a bit weird—and awkward—for Jean find himself in this situation. Knowing Jean, he's probably battling with his pride right there. To everyone's surprise, his face softened, "thank you man, I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Junior responded, casually resting his hands in his pockets.

"Say thank you to Junior, Pierre."

"Thank you Junior!" the boy smiled before he was carried away by his father, giggling at whatever the man was saying to him. Smiles were spread across both Kirschteins faces.

She had to admit, it actually felt good to see Jean so happy after what he had gone through. And it seemed Pierre wasn't in too bad a shape. He was pretty tough for a toddler.

"Hey mom," Junior greeted as he walked up to her.

"Hey there, Nice man," Mikasa smiled as he approached her.

"Heh, really, mom," Junior started before coming to stand in front of her, "Mom, I wanted to say thanks."

"Thanks?"

"Yeah thanks," he clarified, "If you hadn't stopped me from attempting to kill that titan, I would've been dead right now, I would've never killed my first titan and most importantly, I wouldn't have saved Pierre."

Mikasa's smile got bigger, the pride she had for her son welling up within her, "see, you didn't kill that titan, but you sure did something great today."

"Yeah," he nodded before frowning, "also mom. I wanted to apologize to you. I acted like such an ass to you and I even got you injured when you were only trying to protect me. I'm really sorry mom and I hope you can have it in your heart to forgive me."

Mikasa raised her eyebrow at him, "Junior, no need for all that. I already forgave you the moment you said you didn't mean to," she started, "you're just a teenager and you guys are prone to do all this crazy stuff. I mean, when I was your age, I had literally beat up the entire boys' football team because they picked on your uncle Eren." When she saw his surprised face, she continued, "you did that because you wanted to do something for someone else and its normal for all of us to want to do something for someone we care about. We just have to learn to accept that there are things we cannot do for them and move on. Making mistakes is what helps us grow and from what I've seen, you've already grown from that one mistake you made."

Junior smiled at her, "thank you, mom."

"Anytime, Junior," she smiled at him, "though, you still have to apologize to your father."

Junior gulped, "wha… why? I didn't do anything wrong to him."

"Junior, you hurt the man's wife. Do you know how infuriating it is when someone lays their hands on your significant other?" she said, smirking at him. Though, she was being serious. She knew Levi would be upset with Junior for some time and that the best way to earn his forgiveness a little faster was to apologize to him, "you've gotta apologize to him."

"Ugh, fine," he grunted, "but what if he punishes me?"

"Honestly, you deserve it."

"...True."

"Alright then," Mikasa started before grabbing his hand, "come on."

"Where are you taking me?" Junior asked, allowing the Asian woman to guide him."

"You're walking me to my room," Mikasa answered plainly, "and on the way you're going to tell about how you found little Pierre when I sent you off."

"Ugh, fine."

As Mikasa listened to her son's explanation, her mind started to wander. Annie was right, life could be cruel. It could separate families, allowing people to die while their families remained grieving them. It could separate parents from their children for long periods of time, and wouldn't even be bothered whether or not the parent was depressed out of their mind.

In her life, she had come to learn that the world was a cruel place and there was no doubt about it. It made her gain the perspective that there wasn't much to live for in life when she was a teenager. It wasn't until she grew up that she found love, and had a family of her own that she started to realise that there was always a something to live for in the cruel world. Sometimes you may have to look for it, searching for years while other times they'd be in plain sight waiting for you to realise it. Even when you'd somehow forget about your life is worth living for...

"And then I just took it down, like I felt so badass. Man, I bet you and dad are pretty used to feeling like that huh."

Mikasa smiled at her son as he spoke. The boy was at one point as small as little Pierre, barely out of diapers running all over the place, making her and Levi question whether or not they were going to be able to raise that ball of energy well enough. Now when she took a look at him, he had grown so much it was unbelievable. He was a smart, responsible and overall amazing young man that never failed to fill her heart up with so much pride.

_They still always found a way to remind you._

**Hey there ladies and Gentlemen, lads and lasses, dudes and… female dudes. I would like to say thanks for reading so far and I hope I managed to entertain you all. So we got to see Pierre reunite with his papa and the Scouts (well most of them) managed to defeat the titans and Fort Rose got to see another day. On another end, Irene decided to use her powers to stop the titans. What happens now? Stay tuned to find out.**

**Honestly, it took a while to complete this but I'm glad to say that I'm happy so far that I've managed to post for you after a while. I really hope you're having a blast and I can't wait to hear what you guys have got to say.**

**As at now, all I can say is bye and I'll see you when I next update**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey there. I'm back with another chapter of HSF. Thanks for the feedback arrios18. It feels good to know that the chapters flowed nicely. Anyways, I don't think I've got much to say other than. Enjoy the chapter.**

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Is it dinner already?" Junior asked as he sat up from his bed, stretching as his body adjusted to being awake after a short nap. He glanced at a nearby window and could tell that it was dark on the outside. Deciding that it probably really was dinner time, he scooted towards the edge and hopped off the bed, landing on his feet with a thud, wincing as he felt the shock in his feet.

He then crouched to look under his bunk and then pulled out his boots when he caught sight of them. He then took a seat on the bed below his so as to put on his boots. His bunkmate wouldn't mind. Eren was a chill guy—well most of the time.

After his quest to put on his boots, it was time to perhaps find someone to go to dinner with, but when he looked around the dorm, there was practically no one in there to go with.

"I guess I'll go it alone," he sighed before making his way out the door, through the quiet halls and to the outside of the dorms.

When he stepped outside of the building, the quiet atmosphere had changed as it turned out there was human life on the outside. He looked around and saw some of the remaining soldiers chatting and walking under the evening skies where snow was slowly falling to the ground.

When the cold air blew in his direction, Junior's first instinct was to pull his jacket closely around his torso, however that didn't really do much as the tiny jackets could only do so much to keep someone warm.

Deciding to brave it out, Junior stepped out of the building and began to make his way towards the cafeteria.

As he walked, he looked around. The base, along with the rest of the city was having repairs done to it ever since the titans attacked. To think it had only been a few days ago when the titans attacked and, yet, the city of Fort Rose was already getting right back on its feet. At this point, the Commander had allowed the soldiers sometime to recover from their injuries while he, alongside the Garrison Commander Pixis, went on to advance their plans to retake Fort Maria—at least that was what Hange told him anyway.

"Come on dad, you promised!" he turned when he heard a familiar voice.

"Can't a man change his mind?" Miche responded while looking down at his daughter.

"Not when it's a promise dad," she responded before glancing to the side and noticing Junior watching. "Hey Junior, could you come here a minute?" she asked, waving at him.

"Uh sure!" he responded before walking towards the two Zachariuses.

"Junior, long time not see," Miche responded, reaching out a hand to him, "Good to see you again."

"Good to see you again uncle…" Junior started, reaching out to shake his hand, but ended up being pulled into a side hug by the giant man, "Miche…"

"What, you thought that just because you're seventeen now, you were too old to be hugging your uncle?"

"…No," he responded, "though I'd appreciate it if you let me have some room to breathe."

Miche only smirked before releasing him from the hug and ruffling his hair, "I can say you've gotten a bit taller since we last saw each other. Guess your old man must've kept it to himself."

"I guess so."

Miche then looked back at Mackenzie and then back at Junior, "hey Junior, maybe you'll be able to convince Mack over here not to join the Scouts. Trust me, I tried, but she's not changing her mind."

"You wanted to join the Scouts?" Junior asked, looking down the blonde girl, something he remembered not being able to do. Just over a year ago, before all the titans showed up, they were looking at each other at eye-level much like with Irene, but here he was, slightly tilting his head to look down at her. Miche was right.

_I really have gotten taller, haven't I?_

"Yeah."

"Why? Don't those things freak the hell out of you?" Junior asked, surprised by the fact that she was interested in risking her life like that. So far, she was the only other person he had met—other than Irene—who was so enthusiastic about fighting those damn things. They were huge and carnivorous, towering over every other life form on the food chain. Like why on earth would anyone do that, "I mean… those guys are like the size of buildings. You could die."

"Junior, over fifty people had died during that battle alone. I'm well aware that I could die," Mackenzie responded before crossing her arms, "besides, if you've survived this long then I'm pretty sure I could do that too," she said with a smirk.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Junior asked, also crossing his arms as he took a step closer to her. If Junior hadn't been focused on sizing her up, he would've noticed the light shade of pink her face had just turned as she looked up at him.

"Ugh, back off," Mackenzie said, shoving him backwards a bit, "you still smell."

"And you're still rough," Junior said, regaining his stability before looking at her, amused and curious to know why on earth she looked so flustered all of a sudden. Their little interaction sort of reminded him of when they were still in New Sina Town. They were family friends so they were almost always at each other's houses. Playing with toys when they were younger before they grew into playing videogames and sometimes sports together.

It was the sound of Miche chuckling that shifted their attention from each other to the giant man. The man had a rather suspicious smirk on his face and Junior had a feeling he knew what was going through the man's mind right now.

"…Hey dad…" Mackenzie started, giving him a suspicious look, "what's with that laughing? I don't think any of us said any jokes."

"You kids are just getting me excited is all," he said before bringing a hand to stroke his goatee and looking down at Junior, "so Junior, when are you going to hook up with Mack over here and give me grandkids?"

"Dad, seriously!" Mackenzie shouted, her face becoming a brighter shade of red before her father burst out laughing. "Dad it's not funny!" she whined before Miche pulled her into a hug, much to her protest.

Junior watched in amusement at the scene in front of him. He was just as surprised as Mackenzie was at Miche's sudden question, but then… he wasn't so surprised. For as long as he had known, Miche's sense of humour was as weird as his father's, so it wasn't exactly surprising that he would pull something like that.

Another thing that seemed to amuse Junior was how Mackenzie was getting so flustered. It was just a joke after all. Well, uncle Miche wanted an answer and he was going to give to him.

"First of all, uncle Miche. Mack and I are basically kids ourselves, so in no way can you be expecting grandkids from either of us," Junior started, "secondly, Mack is basically my little sister so dating her would kinda be like me dating Marie which is, honestly… kinda weird."

"Oh is that so?" Miche raised an eyebrow before looking back down at his daughter and then back a Junior, "because I highly doubt Mack feels the same way."

"Leave it dad." Mackenzie said, escaping his hug before standing straight, "it's true anyway. Junior's like my brother so dating him would be weird."

"Whatever you say, Mack," Miche sighed in defeat.

"Now, back to the main topic on discussion," Mackenzie started, a determined look on her face, "Dad, I'm still going to ask again. Can I join the Scouts with you?"

"I don't get it, Mack," Miche started, now wearing a more serious facial expression, "you're already a Garrison soldier. Why would you want to be a Scout?"

"Dad, all the Garrisons do is sit around drinking and playing games all day," she explained, "I need some action like you guys. You guys get to fight the titans. The same damn things that forced us into this fort in the first place. We were trained in the use of ODM Gear because we're supposed to be fighting titans right? Well that's what I wanna do and I'm sure of it because I took down three that day they attacked."

_You took down three?_

Junior felt a mixture of two emotions. One of them was shock at the fact that Mackenzie had actually taken out a good number of titans for someone that wasn't a Scout, and as much as he hated to believe it, the other emotion he felt was pretty close to Jealousy because well… she'd taken down two more than him, an actual Scout. Well, Mackenzie had always been more on the physical side than he was.

"Mack…" Miche started, looking down at her contemplatively before raising his wrist to look at the wristwatch that rested there for a bit and then back at Mackenzie, "Alright Mack. I have to go talk to Commander Erwin for a bit so you can go hang out with Junior over. I'll let you know when I'm done so we can go home."

"But dad I…" she started but stopped once her father patted her head and walked off. She then looked back at Junior, "so where were you off to?"

"Oh right," Junior started, remembering that he was actually on his way to the cafeteria for dinner, and now he was probably really late, "I was headed to the cafeteria for dinner."

"Well then, guess I'll be joining you."

"Cool," he nodded before turning, "follow me."

With that, the two began to make their way to the cafeteria. Their walk was actually a bit quiet. Only the sound of their boots crunching on the ground alongside the noise made by the Scouts that were on the outside.

Junior looked beside him and noticed the sort of annoyed look the girl wore, probably from having been denied the chance to join the Scouts. He was wondering now. What was it that made some people so interested in joining the Scouts? After the first expedition, he had expected people to have already quit and settle down in the fort, especially now that even more people had died.

Yet, when he looked around, everyone was still there. He hadn't heard of a single person approaching the higher ups to resign from their positions. They all seemed to be keeping it together. Whenever he asked himself why he was doing this, he'd always answer that he felt it would get him close to his father again. Though it seemed to be extremely slow, there was progress.

He wanted to be a Scout because he had a goal in mind. And that was probably what kept the other scouts in it. They, too probably had their own goals that they wanted to achieve. It led him to wonder now. He looked back at Mackenzie. What was her reason for wanting to be a Scout?

"Hey Mack," he started, catching her attention, "why do you really want to join the Scouts anyway?"

"Why do I really want to join the Scouts, huh?" she asked herself, bringing her hand to rest under her chin as she looked ahead contemplatively, "… I don't know really. I guess it's just because I want to do more."

"You want to do more?"

"I mean… I want to be able to do more," she said, turning to look at him and clicking her tongue when she noticed his still confused face, "I mean. I spent an entire year training to fight titans, so I want to fight them. I want to do more than just sit around town. Sure we don't just sit all the time, we're like cops, but then, I want to something even more than that. I want to fight titans."

"So basically, you just want to join the scouts because you're bored?' he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"…Well…" she started, pausing for a moment before exhaling, the vapour forming from her nostrils, "I suppose so."

"Mack, come on. Those are man eating monsters," Junior started, "you can't possibly want to join us just because you're bored. This isn't some game you know. People's lives are at stake. You may be feeling confident because you killed three of them, but that's probably because they were frozen in place. If they were moving like they usually did, you may not have even tolerated the idea of joining."

Junior didn't know what came over him, but he was glad it did, because Mackenzie seemed to be thinking about it.

It was after what seemed like a minute that Mackenzie answered, "You sound just like dad," she sighed before continuing, "…and that's because you're probably right. Okay, I'll try my best and think about it tonight. Happy?"

"Yeah," Junior nodded, smirking down at her defeated looking expression.

"Don't you go getting all smug just now," she responded, before playfully punching his arm, "I've still probably killed more titans than you have anyway."

Mackenzie was a thrill seeker, that much Junior knew. So, being the big brother he is, he sometimes had to be the one to keep her in check whenever she seemed to be getting way too in over her head. She wasn't easy to sway, but… she was better than the twins, so that was good enough for him.

Away from all of this, he still hadn't eaten and he was pretty sure that if he didn't get any warm food in his system, he was probably going to freeze to death at night.

"Hey Junior, are you headed to dinner?" he heard one of the other soldiers call.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked looking back at the soldier.

"You gotta hurry up. The cooks are about to clear up!"

"Shit…" he muttered before grabbing the blonde's hand. he then looked back at the soldier, "thanks!" he said before dragging Mackenzie with him. Right now, the only thing on his mind was getting something to eat, and he was going to have to get it soon, "come on, Mack."

After a brief run to the cafeteria, Junior found that the cooks had, indeed, taken the food away. However, his little group of friends, along with a few others ,happened to have saved him something to eat.

"You were really hungry huh?" Mackenzie amusedly asked from beside him.

"You have no idea," Junior responded, putting a chunk of bread in his mouth.

"But dude, you don't have to eat like that. There's no one chasing you," another soldier said from across him.

"Sorry Alex, but…" Junior started, but stopped when he had to swallow "you had no idea, just how hungry I was."

"I still don't think that's an excuse for one person to be eating like a pack of wolves," Mackenzie answered him.

"Yeah," another soldier answered before chuckling, "dude, the way you're eating makes Doug looks like he's fit to dine with the queen," he laughed, "isn't that right Irene… Irene?"

Junior, along with everyone else at the table, turned to focus on Irene and Doug, who had been unusually quiet at the table, wearing undiscernible facial expressions.

"Daz, I think you may have offended them,' Alex said, keeping his eyes on the two.

"No way. Doug never gets offended like this," Daz shook his head before looking back at the two, "come on guys, what's going on with you. Problems in the bedroom? What's wrong? it's not going up?"

"Cut it out Daz," Junior started, staring at the grey-haired boy, and then back at his friends, "I think it's serious."

"Relax guys," Irene finally responded, "there's nothing wrong with me," she said before glancing at Doug, "and I doubt there's anything wrong with him either."

"Mhm." Doug nodded.

"If there's nothing wrong with you, then what's with all this quietness?" Daz asked.

"Probably just exhaustion," Irene responded, "it was a brutal fight after all."

"Irene, we all went through that brutal fight, but I don't see anyone else looking like you guys," Alex countered.

"Well, we're different,' Irene answered, "you obviously can't expect…"

As Junior watched Irene explain, he couldn't help but doubt it. Her being exhausted was reasonable as she probably dealt with a lot more than the average Scout. Aside from using large amounts of energy flying around, she probably also dealt with hearing the titans' voices as she killed them. The fight must've left her both physically and emotionally exhausted and being questioned by the likes of Daz and Alex must've been adding onto whatever she was feeling.

But that didn't really explain Doug, though. From the way he had come to know him, Junior was surprised to see Doug so silent all of a sudden. Even if he were tired, he would've still been goofing off with Daz or constantly asking Junior if was going to finish his food. Seeing him so silent was just... unnatural. There had to be more to it for him. He could ask him tonight.

"Okay Irene," Daz said as he stood up. he then looked at Alex, "come on dude. We've gotta get back to the dorms before dad flips out again."

"Oh right," Alex nodded as he also got up. He then looked back at everyone, "see you guys at training tomorrow and…" he then looked in Irene and Doug's direction, "I hope you guys start feeling better soon."

"Thanks," they both responded before the boys walked off.

Hardly had they left the room when they heard a gruff voice call out. "Hey Mack!"

The remaining soldiers turned to find Miche standing next to the Commander by the door. They all then turned to Mackenzie, who looked just about as shocked as all of them.

"Crap, am I in trouble?" Mackenzie asked the Scouts at the table, who all shrugged at her in response.

"I don't know, but considering the Commander's with him," Junior started, "it must be pretty serious."

"Gosh, now I'm nervous," she said.

"Come on Mack, we don't have all day!"

"Coming!" she squeaked as she got up, the girl looked so nervous it was somewhat ridiculous.

"Hey Mackenzie," Irene called out to her before she left, prompting the blonde to look at her, "make sure to make eye contact when he speaks to you."

"Thanks man," she said before walking over to the two men.

"Uhm guys," Doug said as soon as Mackenzie had left, "I've gotta be somewhere else too."

"Oh, where could you possibly go when it's so cold?" Irene asked, giving him a concerned look

"Oh, Annie wanted to talk to me about something," he responded before getting up. he then looked at Irene, "have a goodnight alright," he said before bending over and giving her a kiss on her forehead. He then looked back at Junior, "goodnight man."

"…Goodnight," he responded before Doug walked out of the Cafeteria room. He then looked back at Irene and saw her still looking rather off. He felt the need to talk to her and now that they were alone, he felt it wold be a good opportunity, "Hey Irene. I know it's more than just exhaustion that's bothering you, so could you tell me what's really wrong with you?"

"Levi, I'm exhausted. There's nothing more than that," she responded, trying to offer him that assuring Smith-style smile as she drummed her fingers on the table, but her attempts were futile as Junior could see otherwise from the look in her eyes.

Junior sighed, "Irene, come on. By now you can't possibly expect to fool me so easily." He then reached his hands across the table so as to take hers in his, "you're stressed out and I, along with the other guys, could see that clearly. I know you may not like when people try to force things out of you, but I'm your friend. I don't like seeing you like this, so please…" he said as her blue eyes were locked with his own, "just tell me what's wrong so I can help you."

Junior couldn't tell what was more surprising. The fact that he was bold enough to grab hold of Irene's hand, or the fact that he was speaking to her so easily without messing up. He, along with probably every other person he knew, would've never expected him to ever do this, yet here he was, doing it. He then found himself remembering the conversation he had with his mother the night of the attack.

"_Making Mistakes is what helps us grow and from what I've seen, you've already grown from that mistake you made"_

Junior smiled, not only to give Irene extra assurance, but because he was appreciating the things his mother did for him. A few days ago, he was going to end up dying because he thought the only way to help out Irene was to take down the titan, but because of his mother, here he was, offering to be there for her, to comfort her, to help her out of what appeared to be a state of emotional strain. She was an amazing friend to him, and he was sure as hell going to be an amazing friend to her too.

He watched as Irene took a deep breath, "Okay fine," she said, "I'll talk.'

"Good," Junior said, letting go of her hands and sitting straight in the bench, "I'm all e-"

"Not here though," she cut him off as she looked around, "I don't think this is a good place to discuss this, if you know what I mean.

_Oh…_

Junior's eyes widened in realisation. Of course that was what was bothering her so much. When he came to think about it, those titans did stop moving on their own, and he should've probably already had an idea that she could've been involved. Well, she wanted to talk somewhere private so they had to find a place.

"Does the flagpole sound good?"

Junior's previous demeanour faltered as soon as it came at the mention of the flagpole. That was the spot where most soldiers—the couples—had their private conversations. Be it a confession or something similar, that's where it happened—at their previous fort anyway. He didn't know why there of all places but that was what it was.

He then rubbed his hand against the back of his neck as he tried to find the right response, "…Irene. I don't think… the flagpole… I mean…"

"You're scared we'll look like a couple?" Irene snorted as she raised an eyebrow at him, "well that's the point, actually."

"Huh?"

"Levi, the conversation we're about to have is one I'd rather no one heard," she explained, "If we talk from the flagpole, anyone who passes by will just think we're flirting or something so they won't get suspicious or anything. Plus, it's literally snowing outside so I doubt there will be too many people outside. It's actually a very convenient spot."

_Smart._

Junior was amused. Even when she was clearly stressed out, she could quickly figure things out so quickly. Well, she was a Smith anyway. He then rose from his seat, "let's go then."

"Alright."

* * *

The ground beneath his shoes made crunching sounds as Doug walked out of the cafeteria. He kept his eyes peeled, occasionally glancing around in order to spot Annie, Reiner or Bertholdt. The former had told him to meet hier after dinner so he wasn't going to let himself be late, like when he was in the club. However, the only thing that was in his way was once again, she hadn't told him where to meet up.

_If that woman gives me another stink eye I swear I'm flipping her off._

Doug sighed. In truth, he would never do something like that to Annie. Simply because he felt he had no right to, and because those looks sometimes scared the living daylights out of him. If she were to glare at him, his real response would be to shut up and seek refuge behind one of the guys. For a woman he easily towered over, she sure made him feel smaller than even the Captain.

_The Captain._

Doug bristled at the thought of the Captain. That man was… something he had never seen before that was for sure. He was just… something else. If there was one person that terrified him even more than Annie, it was him. Right now, he wasn't going to be anywhere but on the man's good side.

"Doug!"

He looked around the moment his name was called and his eyes landed on Reiner who, like last time, was probably looking for him. Only this time, he wasn't surrounded by several clubbers, but was right next to the Scouts' Common Room.

_Whoa, are we really doing this?_

Doug couldn't help but get a bit excited as he approached Reiner. Had Annie finally agreed to hang out for once, possibly play a game of pool or something. He hadn't been able to have fun with her for years and yet here he was probably going to have a night where he didn't receive a stink eye. Deciding to keep his excitement inside, he decided to first ask Reiner to confirm his suspicions.

"Hey Reiner," Doug greeted, reaching out his hand to the older man for a handshake.

"Hey Doug," he responded, shaking his hand. He then looked Doug up and down, "where's your gear?"

"My gear?" Doug asked before looking closely at Reiner only to realise that he was wearing his gear. His excitement fell as soon as it had risen.

_So much for hanging out._

"Yes, your gear," he nodded, "didn't Annie tell you?"

Doug then clicked his tongue in frustration before speaking, "she never fucking tells me anything," he scoffed, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I don't understand what's so hard about giving a guy a heads up. You know what I mean?"

Reiner shook his head amusedly before speaking, "Doug, just go get your gear and you'll find me here waiting. Then I can take you to the where everyone else is meeting."

"Alright."

* * *

"So wait, you wanna marry her?" Bertholdt asked Reiner as they walked along the large walls of Fort Rose.

"Yeah… I mean. Just look at her. She's beautiful, kind, gentle," he responded, "I've honestly never seen anyone like that back home."

"Reiner, you aren't even dating or anything," Bertholdt pointed out, looking at his friend with an expression that showed concern, "you can't just propose to her like that. Plus, she's already married."

"I get that we're not dating or anything, but Bert. She's just too nice to let go of," Reiner responded, "besides, I'm pretty sure she'd pick me over Eren. Just take a look at him and then at me."

_What the hell? Did he just say that?_

Doug looked back at the two men with an amused look, catching their attention.

"What're you looking at, Doug?" Reiner asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"…Oh don't mind me," he smirked, "I'm just wondering what Historia would see in a walking steroid, is all," he said before quickly dodging Reiner's playful punch while chuckling.

"Next time, you won't be so lucky, you little bastard."

"Ima just mind my own business now," Doug dismissed himself before looking back ahead of him where Annie quietly walked, her hands stuffed in her jumper pockets.

After somehow deciding that he wanted to talk to her, Doug quickened his pace up until he was walking right beside her. He looked down beside him and noticed that she hadn't even acknowledged him, as usual. He then turned to look ahead as well.

He let his eyes do a bit of wandering and he found himself staring down at the city below. There were many lights on as the city was looking quite alive despite the fact that there were titans all over the place not so long ago.

Still, it was a beautiful sight from way up there, the falling snow just gave it that 'Christmassy' vibe and there was no denying the fact that it brought several memories into Doug's mind, "the city looks really nice, doesn't it?" he asked, but got no response as Annie just kept on walking.

However, he continued to talk as the memories gave him a warm feeling on the inside, "I remember the times when we were back in the woods and we'd go to the cliff and look at the fireworks during Liberio's Fireworks displays. I really miss those times damn," he said, smiling at the city. He then looked down beside him and noticed that Annie wore much softer expression, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear as she probably remembered the times too.

_She's smiling._

Doug's smile grew bigger. It had been a while since he last saw Annie smile around him, and he had to admit that it felt great. He was extremely close to reaching out to her, but he decided against it as he knew he was getting way in over his head and didn't want to screw things up. As long as she was at least smiling around him, that was enough.

He then looked back down at the city to admire it once again, "I wonder what Desmond is up to?"

He heard a gasp coming from beside him and when he looked, he found Annie had stopped lost her previous calmer demeanour. She looked completely tense now.

_Ah shit I screwed up._

Doug had entered a state of complete panic as he wondered what he would do. Their little moment of peace had just been replaced with complete tension and Doug could sense a lot of it. Right now, he was wondering what he had do…

_Oh…_

"Annie look, I-I'm sorry," he tried to apologize, "I didn't know that you were still upset about Des-"

"Shut up," she muttered.

"...huh?" he asked, having not heard what she had said.

"I said, shut up!" she raised her voice as she shot him a glare, immediately freezing Doug in his place. She then sighed before regaining her usual bland expression, "Douglas, I don't have any time for any of your explanations so you can keep them to yourself," she said before glancing ahead, where what looked like a campfire could be seen not too far from where they stood, "We're about to get there so I'm going to tell you to shut up here and shut up even while we're there. You should only open your mouth when you're spoken to. Is that clear?"

Doug gulped, "yes ma'am," he nodded before Annie proceeded to go ahead of him. For a moment, he felt like the old Annie was back with him, but now, she had just gone back to wherever she went in the first place.

The walk to the campfire had been silent, minus the constant chatter between Bertholdt and Reiner. Doug had decided to keep on watching the city as he walked. At least that was still nice to look at.

The group came to a stop once they arrived at the campsite where a man he had never seen before sat.

Everyone stood behind Annie, quietly looking at the Campsite where the shirtless, blonde man sat at the fire, boiling something in the can while he poked the fire.

"Aren't you all going to join me," the man said, his eyeglasses reflecting the light from the fire.

All the guys looked at Annie, whose only response was to take a step forward, prompting the men to follow suit and join him at the campsite.

The next few moments were rather silent except for the sounds of the fire crackling as well as the sound of the food in the can cooking. There was just silence when it came to the people, an awkward silence. Only stares between the man and Annie and co.

Growl… the sound of Doug's stomach rumbling forced everyone to look at him.

_Shit._

"Sorry," Doug apologized, his face having turned a bright of pink from the embarrassment. He could feel the glare Annie gave him even without looking at her and the blank stare that the man was giving him wasn't making things any easier.

_I've screwed up again, haven't I?_

"So, I assume you know why I called you here," the man was the one to break the awkward silence.

"…no?" Doug unconsciously responded before remembering what Annie had told him.

"I see,' the man responded, keeping his eyes on Doug, "well, this leads me to ask you, Douglas. Do you have any idea who I am?"

Doug's eyes widened. Who was this guy and how on earth did he know who he was? He had never met the guy so he wondered how he knew him. Doug snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Annie nudge him with her elbow, reminding him that he had been prompted to speak.

"Um no sir," he shook his head, "I don't know who you are."

The man nodded at the response before reaching over to his face and adjusting the pair of glasses he wore on his face. He then cleared his throat, "Douglas, my name is Zeke. Zeke Jaeger."

_Thee Zeke Jaeger? Like War Chief Zeke Jaeger? Whoa._

"…F-For real?" Doug asked as realisation dawned upon him. This was the guy he had been hearing about from Reiner and the others. The famed War Chief Zeke Jaeger. The one he had heard several stories about from other kids when he was younger. This same guy also happened to have been sent by Marley to complete their job. He was right there, in front of him. They had never met until just now.

"Why yes, I am, indeed, Zeke," he nodded before continuing, "do you know why I'm here?"

"Because we haven't yet completed the mission."

"Because you failed," Zeke responded before looking at everyone, "all of you failed. Capturing some child has seriously taken you over a year. All of you, Marley's Warrior Unit, were entrusted by the Marleyan government and those buffoons at that Fort to do the simple job of an extraction and here you are having failed, embarrassing not only your country, but me as a Captain."

He then shifted his attention to Reiner, "Tell me, why is it that you have failed to carry out such a simple task."

"The thing is…" he started, "we wanted to carry out this extraction discreetly. The only problem is that the target is the Commander's daughter and not just some regular soldier, so her randomly disappearing wouldn't go unnoticed. The Commander would probably order some sort of inspection of the entire base and probably one of us may end up being discovered.

"Either way, you could easily escape the area considering your skillsets," Zeke continued before looking at the two men, "Reiner, Bertholdt. I highly doubt a few soldiers would be able to take down Marley's strongest warriors, especially when you're in a state of battle," he said before looking at the city beyond them, "Though, I understand your reasoning and I do agree that being discreet about it is a sound strategy."

"There is one thing I would like to talk about though," he started before looking at Doug, "Douglas, when I summoned those titans a few days ago, I saw you. You were approaching what I assume was the target when you were taken down by some soldier. How is it even possible that a warrior, in their combat form, could be defeated by a mere human being? I would like to know the answer to that."

"Oh…" Doug said before shuddering when the memories came to his mind. It was something he was trying his best to forget about and being forced to talk about it now, wasn't doing him any good, "Well… I don't really know."

"You don't know?"

"No, I know," he clarified, "I just don't know how it happened. That man. He was just so fast; I couldn't keep up with him. When I tried to harden my skin, he beat me to it. He was like a blur, flying all over the place and I didn't even know where he was most of the time. All I knew I that one moment I'm on my feet, the next one I'm on the ground. He was just too much."

"So you're telling me that there's a soldier that brought you to your knees simply because he was too fast?" Zeke asked, "that doesn't make any sense. What kind of no-"

"He's an Ackerman,' Annie cut him off.

"An Ackerman?" Zeke repeated, looking somewhat amused, "I thought they were all extinct."

"We did too, until we found some here in Paradis," Annie answered.

"Some, you say?" he asked, to which the blonde nodded, "this gives me something else to think of," Zeke said before rubbing his hands against his hairy arms, probably as a response to the cold, "you see, I was told to eliminate all of you once I found you here before I took the target back with me, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Believe it or not, I see you as more than just the military's pawns."

After saying this, he scooted the brick he was seated on closer to the fire and started to warm himself, seemingly unbothered by the stares he was receiving. Why he wasn't wearing a shirt in the first place, Doug had no clue, but he wasn't going to question the war chief of all people.

"Because of that, my plan, initially was to just allow you all to complete the mission as I waited so we could return home together. However, I then realised that you would just end up getting killed by the government either way because you had failed to carry out their orders properly so that ruled of the idea," he continued, "so, then I thought that I would complete the task myself and let you all just run off and become official refugees of Paradis, but then I highly doubt that would be of any of your tastes to abandon your homes like that. Especially you, Annie." He said the last part glancing at the woman.

"So what's you big plan now?" Annie was the one to ask.

"You see, having an Ackerman in the ranks of Marley's Military would be extremely beneficial," he responded, "so, my idea is simply. I allow you all to carry out your orders when it comes to returning the target, as well as taking an Ackerman with you as a form of plea for leniency. Not only will the officials be satisfied with the completion of your task, but also pleased when they find out how valuable the other person you will have brought them is."

"The Ackermans that we've found are fully grown adults. There's no way they'd just sit back and let us kidnap them without putting a fight, an extremely difficult one at that," Annie responded.

"Hold on Annie," Doug started, having not heard the whispers of warning being made by Reiner and Bertholdt beside him. "Mr and Mrs. Ackerman have kids, don't they?" He asked, recalling that there were, in fact, Ackerman children. He flinched when he noticed the hard glare Annie threw at him. What did he do this time?

_Did I do something wrong?_

"Children huh?" Zeke asked before nodding, "that would make things easier then. Children would be much easier to mould into Warriors and I highly doubt they would put up as much a fight as the adults. So capturing them wouldn't be of much difficulty. The only real work would probably come in with capturing the Commander's daughter. I'm thinking we have to do some serious planning when it comes to taking her."

In spite of all this planning, Doug was confused. What was it about Ackermans that was so special? From what he'd seen, Junior was nothing special, but then… there were his parents. Could it be because they're Ackermans that they're like that? "Um War Chief," Doug started, catching the man's attention, "why is it that Ackermans are so important to Marley?"

"Oh, let me explain," he started, but was cut off when a deep voice called out of nowhere.

"War chief!" the voice called and when they turned to look, they found a black-haired titan with an unusually large snout, standing on all fours with a large saddle on its back.

"What is it?" Zeke asked.

"Officers are currently on their way to the Fort. They must have been made aware of the fact that the target currently resides here. They aren't too far away."

"Thank you Pieck," he responded before looking back at the other Warriors, "discussing all of these things has made me forget about one of the most important things of all." After saying this, he shifted his focus to Doug, "Douglas, I assume that you-"

"No, he's not ready," Annie was the one to respond for him. The tone she used wasn't like any of her usual ones. This one sounded rather defensive, or rather, protective.

"If that's the case then, I suggest that he get ready as soon as possible," he said, shifting his focus to Annie, "you see. Very soon things are going to be come rather complicated."

* * *

"Okay, we're here," Junior said as they had arrived at a somewhat secluded area not too far from the base.

All that was there was a large flag pole from which the Wings of Freedom flag gently waved with the wind. A few feet away from the flag was a small bench, which the two walked over to and sat on.

"Levi, it's literally snowing out here," Irene started as she rubbed her hands together, "are you sure that little jacket is keeping you warm enough."

"Yes, I'm good actually," he said confidently, regardless of the fact that he freezing and was pretty sure he was starting to lose feeling in his fingers. "Hey, we came out here to talk about what's been bothering you," he said as he also started to rub his hands together, "I think you can start."

"Right, of course," Irene nodded before getting silent al of a sudden. From the expression she wore on her face, Junior could tell that she was trying to find the best way to put it.

"Take your time," Junior started, "I'll be here as long as you need me."

Irene gave him a brief smile before sighing, the vapour forming with the exhale. She then opened her mouth to speak, "Levi, I'm sure you remember how we were able to beat the titans right?"

"Yeah," Junior nodded, recalling the events that had occurred on that date, "the titans just stopped and the Commander ordered everyone to just go kill them," he explained before a realisation struck him, "And you probably had something to do with it, huh?" he asked to which she nodded.

Well, it wasn't necessarily something that was a surprise as it explained why the titans acted the way they did. Now he was even more curious to find out what it was that was bothering her about it, "Is that why you're so bothered?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "You know, when the titans started attacking the people in the centre, I was running low on gas, and on blades. I had literally nothing to fight with and when I looked around, there were so many people just dying all over the place and I was just there watching it all happen…"

Junior stayed silent as she explained her experience of the time. From the look she wore on her face and the way her voice had slowly started to waver with each breath she took, he could tell that her experience wasn't one she wanted to talk about, and her speaking about it must've been difficult. However, from what he knew, talking about it could actually help her now than when she just kept it to herself.

"And you know, I was so conflicted. One part of me wanted to just fight with the Scouts, but I had no weapons to use, so my mind immediately went to my powers. The majority of my being was just yelling at me to just take control of everything and just tell them to stop." She started, shifting her gaze to her palms and keeping her eyes stuck on them. She then closed her eyes, gently clenching her fists together, "then the other part of me… the other part."

"Was scared of using your powers because you didn't want people finding out," Junior completed for her, watching as she nodded, "Irene… why is this stressing you out so much?"

"Levi, when my parents divorced, I felt like my entire world fell apart. I could never see my parents happy together again and that hurt me really, really badly. All I started to feel then was confused, unsure, unhappy and worst of all, I felt alone," she explained, keeping her gaze away from him as she appeared to be struggling to keep it together, "even when I started to stay with my mom, step-dad, and step –sisters, I felt completely alone. No matter how much time I spent around them, I just felt like I didn't fit in. My mom was happy with that man and his kids and I started to feel left out. I was just unhappy."

"Mhm," Junior hummed, urging her to continue as he processed the information.

"So then, I thought. Maybe if I went to stay with my dad…. I-I would feel happier again. It would just be me…and him, and it would be okay. And it was… okay. I went to stay with him at Fort Maria and it was nice. I felt happier. We would go out together and eat together, go have fun together. The only thing I didn't like was that I had to leave my old school and come to St. Sina's, but otherwise… it was all good," she said as a small smile crept onto her face.

_You were at St. Sina's?_

Junior was tempted to ask but decided against it. Right now probably wouldn't be the best time to ask about that. Aside from all that, she was smiling now and Junior had to admit that she looked really cute.

"Then… the titans showed up and all the drama led to the formation of the Scouts and when I joined the Scouts, I got to meet so many awesome people and make some great friends like you and Doug—and even people like Alex and Daz… and I started to feel even happier. I felt like there was a group of people I could feel a part of, like people I belong around."

"I see," Junior nodded as he continued to listen to her, "not to be rude or anything… I hear you, but you still haven't answered my question," he started, before leaning towards her as he propped his elbows onto his knees, "why are you stressed."

"Levi, you guys—the Scouts mean so much to me. You're pretty much like family, and I don't want to have to lose you guys and start feeling alone again."

"Why do you think you'll lose us?"

"Levi, in case you've forgotten, I can speak to titans. The same things took us away from our homes, killed so many people, the same things we all have dedicated ourselves to fighting," she explained, "if-or when people find out that it was me that got the titans to stop, that I can talk to titans. They're most likely going to start seeing me differently and possibly even be afraid of me because… I can speak to those damn things. Heck, they may even start seeing me as some sort of threat or something," she continued, "I don't want that, Levi. I don't want to become some outcast because of all of this bullshit that idiot had to get me into. I don't want to have to end up feeling alone again."

_Oh…_

Junior found himself feeling bad for the blonde. Feeling outcast wasn't anything pleasant and judging by how much Irene had been through, it was something she absolutely dreaded. In all this, all he felt was the need to help her, to make her feel better. So, he had to put his feelings aside and be there as a friend.

"You know Irene, I know exactly how you feel," he started, prompting her to look at him. Her eyes had turned rather puffy and her breathing and seemed to have gotten rather slow. She must've been holding back her tears. Still that wasn't the time to keep on looking at her, he was supposed to be helping her.

"Yeah, you see… when I started Junior high, I was that nerd that that liked to LARP and spend hours beyond hours on videogames, and that kind of guy definitely wasn't the most popular guy," he continued, remembering how things were back when he was in the early stages of being a teenager, "…so I didn't have many—any friends… well I had Mack, but she's a family friend and I'm talking about just regular friends. Yeah, I didn't have any of those. You know, it really sucked because everyone seemed to be making friends and then I was just there. So I decided to join the football team."

"Yeah..."

With an exhale Junior continued, "When I joined the team, a lot of guys suddenly wanted to be friends with me because—not to brag or anything—I was pretty good. So I was thrilled when so many people wanted to hang out with me. Obviously, being the thirteen-year-old I was, I wasn't able to see that they were all fake so I just went on with it."

He remembered it all so clearly. The way people that had never even batted an eye at him at first all of a sudden wanted to be tight with him. He was young and in need of friends, so all of them looked like legit friends to him.

"So I became kinda popular and I liked it," he continued, "At that point, I was having a lot of fun, hanging out with some of the cool kids. Then, one time I met some guys LARPing in the park and me…" he said, pointing at himself, "with all my nerdiness went over and join them and believe me when I say that that was the most fun I had ever had. Even more fun than playing football and I spent hours with those guys. Little did I know that that was the end for my popular streak."

"So, some guys apparently saw me LARPing and made some huge deal about it, and man… the way all my so called 'friends' just started ghosting me was ridiculous. It was like I never even existed at all. I felt like an idiot," he continued, "and when I went home and told my parents, my dad hit me with a big fat 'I told you so' while my mom just talked to me and told me there were probably much better people for me than those people at school and…" he said, smiling at the thought, "she was right. One time when I sat at my usual spot during lunch, these two guys just walked up to me and joined me. From then on, stuff happened and we became best friends."

Junior then looked back at the blonde, "now Irene, I told you this story because I wanted to let you know that whether or not the entire Survey Corps starts to give you shit because of who you are, you should always remember there are people that care about you no matter what. I care about you, Doug cares about you, your dad cares about you and I'm pretty sure there are others that really care about you. It doesn't matter how much people hate you because it's nothing compared to the love that those that care about you will give you."

Irene's face seemed much happier now, and Junior felt pretty good to have lightened her mood again. Now that he had made her feel better, there was another question on his mind, "Irene, do you have any idea if people saw you use your powers?"

"Well… I honestly don't know," she shrugged, "everyone seemed to be busy with trying to survive so i doubt anyone even noticed."

A smile crept onto Junior's face as he looked at her amusedly, "Irene, so you're telling me that no one probably even saw what happened?" he asked, to which she nodded, "so there's nothing to worry about. Calm down, Irene. You're okay."

After saying this, Irene also found herself smiling, her face going a light shade of pink as she probably realised that she had been overthinking and panicking for pretty much no reason. She then raised her eyes to meet junior's and immediately Junior felt his face heating up.

Now that she was smiling again, Junior found himself staring at her. It was night time and she looked beautiful under the evening lights. He just found himself taking in her appearance. However, at this point, it wasn't appropriate for him to let his feelings come to play. He had just helped his friend feel better and he didn't want to ruin the mood or anything like that.

"Levi, thank you," Irene started, shifting her gaze to the ground below for a moment before looking back into his eyes again, "you're a good friend."

"Well, you're welcome Irene. I really care about you and I'm willing to do whatever I can to see you…" he said, but stopped when she leaned in and pulled him into a hug. Slowly, as though trying to avoid making a mistake, Junior returned the hug and brought his arms around her.

Junior closed his eyes as he processed the situation.

Irene just hugged him. It wasn't like they had never hugged before, but those were all those friendly hugs where he would still turn into a blushing mess. This hug,however, felt different. He could tell that it wasn't exactly romantic, which was expected because they were friends...but then... the hug wasn't just a friendly one either.

Regardless of the type of hug, Junior couldn't help but notice that this interaction gave him a rather pleasant feeling. Just a year ago, Junior was that guy who wouldn't be able to do much,but watch as Irene cried, feeling like an idiot for not doing what to do and feeling like a loser when Doug did it right.

Yet, here he was giving Irene advice, giving her comfort,. He was doing what the previous Junior couldn't do... he was growing, maturing from that immature boy and into someone different, someone better.

Even in their current position, Junior kept his cool. His mind wasn't wandering into ridiculous fantasies or overreacting. The only thing on his mind at the moment was the fact that Irene was feeling better, that she wasn't feeling stressed out and afraid anymore.

He acknowledged that he definitely wasn't some overpowered badass like he thought his parents were. He knew that he was just a kid. A smart, but plain old kid. Regardless of this, he wasn't going to let that hold him back. He may not be able to protect Irene from titans, but he was sure as hell going to protect her in whatever way he could. Irene was his friend and he was sure as hell going to be the best friend he could possibly be.

After feeling three successive pats on his back, Junior pulled away and the two then sat on the bench again.

"It's getting colder," Irene said as she rubbed her hands together, "we should head back to the dorms."

"Yeah, that's fine," Junior nodded before standing up, Irene right after him and they started to walk back to the dorms.

"So Irene," Junior started, trying to start up conversation as they walked back.

"Yeah," she asked, looking over at him.

"You said you were at St. Sina's right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "why?"

"Actually, I was there too," he said before asking' "were you in the class of 2021?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa really?" Junior found himself surprised. If she was going to graduate the same year that he was then how the hell hadn't he ever seen her, "How come I never saw you?"

"Well, because I wasn't too fond of the place, I had a tendency to skip school quite a bit," she admitted, somewhat looking a bit embarrassed, "and I wasn't doing any AP classes, which you most likely took. That was probably why."

"Which I most likely took?" Junior quirked an eyebrow, "what makes you assume that?"

"Levi, you're a huge nerd… geek… no you're both. You're like a nerdy Geek," she responded, "and you can't deny that you were probably the best in all your classes.

"…Well, I won't deny that I am among the best in all my classes, but in math it was my friend Adam," he explained, wearing a rather proud expression, "that guy… that guy was a freaking boss whenever it came to math. He sometimes made me feel like an idiot when he just cracks a problem I busted my brain trying to solve. And you know the ridiculous thing," Junior chuckled, the feeling of nostalgia hitting him when he thought of his friend, "that guy acted like a complete idiot most of the time, and you would never guess he was smart, plus he always used to hit on Mack whenever she came over the times he was around."

"Sounds like an interesting guy. I'd like to meet him some time," Irene responded before giving him a rather suspicious look, "so… Levi, why don't you tell me a bit about you and Mackenzie."

"What about me and Mack?" he asked, wondering what on earth she could be talking about."

"Come on Levi, I'm sure you know that she's clearly into you?"

"Mack, into me?' he asked in disbelief before shaking his head, "no, that's impossible."

"Impossible?" Irene asked in disbelief, "are you kidding me, Levi? Haven't you ever noticed how flustered she gets around you?"

_That's why she was blushing so much._

Well that was news. He hadn't really ever thought of it like that. He just thought it was just her body reacting to the cold or something, "well, I guess it makes sense now," he started, "I've just never thought of Mack as someone I could be romantic with, you know. We've grown up together and I've always seen her as this little brother slash sister to me. We sometimes bathed together when we were little and we had tonnes of sleepovers. We were so casual with each other that I guess I've never seen her in that light."

"Brother slash sister huh?" Irene asked before shaking her head as she had probably come up with something to argue with. Why was she interested in this? "Okay, so you're telling me that there's never been a point that you've felt some kind of... I dunno...interest in her?"

"What the hell Irene?" he snorted before deciding to answer his question, "okay, even though Mack has always been that girl I grew up with, I'll tell you I may have checked her out sometimes," he admitted while turning his voice a higher octave at the last part. It was true, when they were little, there were almost zero boundaries between them, yet once they started hitting puberty, he started noticing her a little more than usual and suddenly, playful wrestling started to become really awkward. Despite this, he just brushed it off and moved on with life. He then grew curious, "why are you so interested anyway?"

"It may or may not be because I think you two would make a cute couple," she responded, keeping a rather straight face.

"Cute couple eh?" he asked, feeling amused at the idea though it still didn't seem feasible to him. He then remembered the earlier conversation he had with Mackenzie and Miche, "you know, her dad likes to joke about that. He even likes to talk about us giving him grandkids."

"Oh… that must've been embarrassing for poor Mackenzie," Irene chuckled.

"Hey, don't get cocky. Your dad did the exact same thing."

Irene's eyes widened, "you can't be serious right now," she gasped.

Junior found himself laughing at Irene's reaction, "Okay, chill. Not exactly the whole grandkids thing," he said as he tried to catch his breath, "it was more like..." he started before clearing his throat ad trying to emulate the Commander, "you're a responsible young man. I think you're the right person for her."

"Why does that man have to be so extra..." she groaned.

Junior started laughing even harder.

"Stop laughing, you jerk," she playfully nudged him as she also found herself laughing. They continued to laugh at each other before getting into other topics of conversation until they found themselves at the area that separated the male dorms and the female dorms.

"So… what next, sleep?" Junior asked as they stopped at their point of separation.

"Definitely," she nodded, "you know these past days have been tough. Other than that other issue, the Captain called for a squad meeting the day after and grilled all of us because Doug and Annie went MIA during the battle and your mom and I apparently didn't know how to use our gas properly. After that, he's punished us to clean the cafeteria after lunch for the whole week."

"Ooh… after lunch. Damn. So wait, did you meeting go something like this?" he asked before clearing his throat and crossing his arms, and then wearing a more serious expression, "Tch, what I saw yesterday was pathetic. Leonhart and Meyer over here must've thought taking a shit in the heat of battle was a good idea while you two negligent halfwits clearly didn't know what you were doing on the battlefield," Junior said in a much deeper voice while keeping a straight face.

"You know what, I don't give a shit about any explanations because I'm mad and you fucked up, so your asses are going to clean the cafeteria for the whole week, and I don't expect any of you to bitch about it. Clear?"

"Oh my gosh that was so good," Irene clapped with an amused look on her face, "you were close, really close, but that wasn't exactly it."

"Really, what I miss?"

"The insults were a little more creative, and the meeting was a little longer than that," she explained, "otherwise you were good."

"Okay, okay. I'll take that," he nodded before bringing a hand to cover his mouth as he yawned, "well Irene, it was fun talking."

"Yeah, it was fun talking to you too," she nodded as she equally yawned, "have a goodnight."

"You too."

"Freeze!" a voice called out, followed by the bright light shining upon them, forcing the two teens to freeze in place and when they followed the sound of the voice, their eyes lande d on several people all dressed in what appeared to be white militaristic suits.

The people approached the two and stopped when they were surrounded, all of them aiming at them with assault rifles.

"Irene," Junior called out, before reaching out to her, "get behind me."

Without much hesitation, the blonde slowly did so as they kept their eyes on the people that had shown up.

"Military Police," Junior heard Irene whisper behind him and when he took a closer look at the people, he took notice of the unicorn Emblem on their jackets.

_What on earth are the Military Police doing here?_

The Military Police were the main force working inside of Fort Sina. What were they doing in Fort Rose? Well, Junior didn't have the interest to try and figure out why. All he was interested in was keeping Irene safe.

"Step away from the suspect!" One of the men shouted from the group.

"N-No!" Junior quickly responded.

"No?" the soldier repeated in disbelief before regaining a serious expression, "listen kid. That person you're protecting is wanted by government of Fort Sina! We're not here to play games. We're here to carry out important business so step away from the suspect, now!"

"No way. You're saying that she's wanted by the government of Fort Sina, but news flash; this is Fort Rose, and the appropriate authorities around here are the Garrisons," Junior spoke, his sudden boldness took him by surprise but he wasn't going to lose his composure, not while Irene was still in danger, "so if this was really legit, they'd have been the ones to approach us instead."

"What the…" the soldier looked shocked again before glaring, "look kid. In case you didn't know, what you're doing is the equivalent to resisting arrest, so if you continue to act this way…" he continued, "we will be obligated to shoot!"

Junior flinched but kept a brave face, "S-Shoot me for resisting arrest? That doesn't make any sense as she has not committed any cognisable offence for which you can perform any arrest whatsoever," he responded.

The man's eyebrow twitched before he spoke, "tch! That's it, kid we warned you," the man shouted before looking at the other soldiers, "on three, you shoot! Don't worry about the girl, she'll be fine, just make sure the boy's down."

"Sir!" they responded before raising their guns.

"3!"

"Levi, I don't think this is a good idea," Irene said from behind him, "just step away before it's too late."

"No, Irene," he shook his head, "as far as I'm concerned, these guys don't have any right to do what they're doing."

"2!"

"They're going to shoot you."

"I don't care," he responded, "I'm keeping you safe."

"1!"

"Levi, move or you'll die!"

Junior didn't move. He wasn't going to go anywhere as long as Irene was in danger. He knew he was being stupid for risking his life like this again, and he was probably going to get into some deep shit with his parents once they found out-hopefully through conveniently strolling into this little scene and saving their asses.

"I gave you your chance kid but you made your decision!" the man said before readying his rifle, "Fi-"

"Hold your fire!"

_Yes!_

All the soldiers froze when the voice was heard. A few of them started separating as though to make way for someone until the soldiers in the front separated and a man stepped out from the crowd.

"No…" Junior heard Irene gasp from behind him and immediately, he started wondering what could've bothered her.

The man seemed to be of higher rank than the other soldiers as the white suit he wore appeared less meant for combat and seemed to have more decorative items such as gold epaulettes, a sash and a couple of badges, and he also wore a cap on his head. When it came to the man's physical appearance, he was tall, had black hair with a bit of facial hair on his face, and was slightly tanned.

There was something about the man that made both Junior, and Irene feel threatened. Junior couldn't tell if it fact that this man could probably order them to be killed at any moment, or the way the light shining behind him created some sort of shadow in front of him, giving him a more intimidating appearance.

The man kept his eyes on the two of them, particularly Irene, and Junior found himself getting uneasy.

After a moment of silence, the man opened his mouth, "Irene, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Junior took a step aside when he felt Irene nudge him a bit, and allowed her to walk and stand beside him. Judging by the poker face she now wore, he could tell that she was feeling courageous and chose to give her room.

"What do you want, Nile?"

**I swear this chapter was only supposed to go as far a 6K words and I really don't know how on earth it ended up getting so long. Well, either ways, it's done and I'd like to thank you all for reading this incredibly long chapter and reaching this far in the story.**

**I hope you enjoyed seeing Junior finally comforting Irene and even getting the balls to stand tall in the face of death—in this case, the Military Police. Also, I won't forget about the scene with Doug and the warriors. Creating and exploring the mystery that is Doug and Annie's relationship is something I enjoy and I hope ya'll do too.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter as a whole and I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. So please feel free to drop a review and pour out your feelings. I'm here to listen to ya'll.**

**Also, I bet you're wondering where our favourite married couple is and if you're like me, you probably missed them too. Well, don't worry. You'll see them in the near future so stay tuned.**

**Ah well, I think I've said enough for one A/N so… Ima conclude by saying see you soon and don't forget to review**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey Cheese are you there? Here's an update. Anyways, hey readers I'm back with another chapter. Last chapter I left ya'll with a cliffhanger and I hope that got ya'll hyped for this one. I'll save most of my talking for after the chapter so please enjoy.**

"What the!" Irene gasped as her eyes shot open only to be met with nothing but darkness. Immediately, her mind started to panic, trying to register where exactly she was, and how exactly she got there in the first place. At the moment, the only thing she could tell was that she was lying down on what she assumed was a bed.

_Where am I._

Slowly, her eyes started to adjust to the poor lighting of the room and she was able to take note of her surroundings.

She was in a small room, sparsely decorated with the only item in the room, other than the bed, being a lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. Opposite from where she lay was a single door in the centre of the wall.

Now that she was more aware of her surroundings, she felt a bit at ease. However, that still didn't change the fact that she was in an unfamiliar place with little to no memory of how she got there so she wasn't going to get comfortable anytime soon.

Irene let out a low hiss from the pain she felt the moment she tried to bring her hand to her face. She then brought both of her hands to hover above her face and that's when she saw the cause of her pain.

Around the wrists of her hands were a pair of metal handcuffs, fastened rather tightly as she felt her skin throbbing under the metal. Her mind was starting to panic again. What on earth was she doing with a pair of handcuffs on. How had she ended up here? Was she going to die?

_The hell is going on?_

Carefully, without causing herself more pain, Irene shuffled around on the bed until she was seated upright, her back against the wall. She closed her eyes as she continued to try and discern what was going on. Last time she checked, she was having dinner with her friends, and then She was talking to Junior about… about the titan incident and then when they were heading to bed when the Military police showed up and then Nile…

* * *

"What do you want, Nile?" Irene asked, keeping her eyes locked on the man that stood before her. The last time she had seen the man, she was walking out of his house with some of her belongings and heading off to live with her father. At the time, she was happy. She wasn't going to have to spend a second longer around that man for a long time.

Right now, she was the opposite of happy. She had hoped she wouldn't have to see him again and yet, here he was, standing in front of her once again. Why was the universe suddenly against her?

From what she could tell, being the Military Police's Commander had done him good. He didn't look as scruffy as he used to now that he was in that flashy uniform.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing right now," Nile started, his eyes widened in in a mixture of surprise and amusement, "Surely this isn't the same little girl I saw almost two years ago," he continued before quirking an eyebrow, "how have you been?"

Irene's eyebrow twitched in slight irritation at the question. She and Junior were just about to get shot at because she was apparently wanted by the government of Fort Sina, then he just shows up and asks how she was doing like they had just casually met somewhere. Not only that, but now seeing his face had just put her in a bad mood.

"Is that him?" she heard Junior ask from beside her. He must've noticed from her initial reaction to him.

"Mhm," the blonde nodded, keeping her eyes on Nile, "What do you want Nile?"

"Hey, kid. You can't talk to a commander like that. Where's your sense of respect?" the soldier from before started, but before he could continue, he was silenced by Nile's raised hand.

"I can see you still haven't let it go," Nile said, shaking his head before wearing a more serious expression, "Alright. We don't intend to stay here for long as this was simply an extraction mission. That said, Irene Smith, you have been placed under arrest by the Military Police."

"Why am I under arrest?" Irene asked, not allowing herself to show any signs of fear as she glared at the man, "you can't arrest me for no reason."

Keeping a straight face, Nile continued, "As I'm trying to avoid taking any unnecessary measures, I request that you surrender yourself right now."

"And what if I don't?"

Nile nodded to a soldier that stood behind him, prompting them to aim their weapon at Junior, "Then we will have to take you by force. Now, we are already aware that a weapon like this will not deal you any permanent damage," he said before shifting his gaze to Junior "but what about your friend over there?"

_Not this again._

At this point, all the confidence that Irene had accumulated had just faded into nothingness. They knew. The Military Police knew, and here she was about to be arrested.

She knew it. She knew that things were going to go wrong the minute she used her powers in front of everyone else. Why did she so foolishly believe things were just going to go smoothly after such a thing. Why did she entertain such an idea for even a bit?

"My soldier will fire at my command," she heard Nile say.

_Junior._

Irene shifted her gaze to Junior, who was clearly trying his best to remain brave despite having a gun aimed at him. He was innocent. He wasn't the one carrying this titan ability. He was just her friend, who tried to make her feel better when she was stressed out some time ago. He was her friend, who was willing to die just moments ago, trying to protect her from these soldiers, and he was her friend, who was going to get shot if she didn't do what these people wanted.

Irene gulped as she felt her throat tighten. Behind the poker face she tried hard to keep going for her, she was on the verge of breaking down. What happened was as a result of her actions, and that had nothing to do with him.

_It's not worth it._

Irene rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger before looking back at Nile, wearing a renewed expression of confidence. She knew what to do. It was the only way for both her and Junior to get out of here without anybody getting hurt.

"So what will it be Irene?" Nile asked, "yourself or…" he nodded towards Junior, "your friend over there."

Irene cleared her throat before speaking, "fine," she nodded, "I'll go with you."

"Good," Nile nodded before one of the MPs stepped forward holding a pair of hand cuffs.

"Irene, what are you doing?" Junior asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, "you can't just go with them."

"Levi, I have to," Irene responded, "If I keep this up, they're going to kill you, now just let me go."

Junior didn't budge, "Irene you don't have to worry about me."

"Of course I have to worry about you, Levi. You're my friend for crying out loud!" she snapped before sighing, "look. What's happened today is all because of me and it has nothing to do with you. If something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for it." Before Junior could counter, she continued, "I get that you're doing this because you care about me and trust me, I'm doing this because I care about you too. You helped lighten my mood earlier on and I appreciate that. You made my night much better than it was. This time, I'm afraid, you won't be able to make things different."

Irene saw his face slightly fall and continued, "Like Nile said, I won't be permanently affected by those guns, but you will. Even if we decided to make a break for it, we might get shot at and I'll live through it. You wouldn't. Now imagine how I'd feel seeing you dead when it's all clearly my fault? Think of your parents. What would happen if they were to find out their son was dead? What would that do to them, huh? Considering what you've told me about recent events."

"Irene…" Junior started, his hand dropping from her shoulder. He must've gotten her point, judging by the look of contemplation he wore on his face.

"I'm sorry, but this is just how it has to be," she said before turning back to look at Nile. With a heavy heart, Irene took a step in the direction of the soldier with handcuffs.

"What about your dad, Irene?" She heard Junior call from behind her, "what about him, huh? How do you think he'd feel if he found that out his daughter just willingly left without even so much as letting him know? You were feeling lonely before he stepped up and took you to live with him so that you didn't feel that way. Now, you're just going to up and abandon him like this. What do you think that would do to him?"

_Dad_

Irene's movement came to a halt at the mention of her father. The same person that did his best to make sure she was happy even if it meant him going off duty in order to just spend time with her. Even though he had left others to keep on Advancing in the fight against Marley, especially when they needed him. Junior had a point. He had done so much to make sure she was happy, even if it meant sacrificing what he had dedicated himself to just for her. If he were to find out that she just willingly waltzed off with the Military Police, she could only imagine how betrayed he'd feel.

"Hey, hurry up. We don't have all day!" The MP barked, snapping Irene out of her thoughts.

"Irene come on…" she heard Junior's voice from behind her, urging her to reconsider her decision.

Irene mentally groaned as she tried to convince herself that she was making the right decision. She about to willingly turn herself in, but it was for a good reason. She was doing it to preserve the life of her friend, and that's a good thing.

_Right?_

Deciding that she was done questioning herself, Irene turned back to meet Junior's eyes again for what could possibly be the last time. Taking note of the determined look in his eye, Irene suddenly became aware of the fact that he had grown from the time she had first met him. He had grown from that awkward nerd into someone who was brave enough to risk his life for her. He had also become one of her greatest friends and she couldn't bear to let him die because of her. He should be able to understand that. Erwin would understand that.

"Sorry Levi, but it just has to be done," she said, flashing him an apologetic look to which he sighed in defeat. She then looked back at the expectant MPs again, and with a heavy heart, she began to make her way towards them.

"And where do you think you're going?" a familiar voice asked, stopping Irene in her tracks. When she turned around, she was met with a face bearing features almost identical to her own, belonging to none other than Commander Erwin Smith himself, the same person she was just about to abandon. Soon, she started to get this heavy sensation in her chest and she knew, without a doubt, that that was guilt.

"Dad… I."

"Hold on," he cut her off before turning his head to the direction of the Military Police where Nile wore a visibly unnerved expression.

With the same poise he always had, Erwin made his way to stand in front of the teenagers and locked eyes with the opposing force's leader. If there was something that always puzzled her, it was her father's ability to switch from the most charming person in the world, into the most intimidating person in existence, much like the way he was able to clearly unnerve Nile with his sudden appearance.

"Commander Dawk, what a pleasant surprise."

Nile's previous expression changed into a more threatening and somewhat frustrated one before he responded, "I could say the same about you, Commander Smith."

"I was unaware that we were receiving visitors today," Erwin said, motioning towards Nile and his soldiers before bringing his hands to hang at his sides, "tell me Nile, what brings you and your soldiers here?"

"We were sent here under the order of the government of Fort Sina to arrest Irene Smith," Nile responded.

"And for what crime is she being arrested?" Erwin asked.

"That isn't information I am at liberty to share."

"Then I cannot allow you to carry out your arrest."

"huh?" Nile said, quirking an eyebrow, "you do realize that this is under the orders of Fort Sina, don't you?"

"I'm well aware, Nile."

"Then why don't you seem to be ready to give Irene up?"

"So you're telling me that you and your men were sent by your government to carry out an arrest on one of my men without so much as informing me or any of the Survey Corps' commanding officers for a reason that your government chooses to keep classified," he points out before continuing, "and you expect me to just allow you to do so freely?"

"Erwin, Fort Sina's government is of the highest authority. You just have to."

"Fort Sina may be of the highest authority, but all decisions made involving the inhabitants of another Fort are to first be greenlit by the officials of said Fort. And seeing as the military has been involved, you should've informed the Garrison Commander of your orders," Erwin explained, clearly and with the intent to make a point, "this is something you, of all people, should know."

Irene stayed silent during the whole ordeal, feeling rather relieved that her father had suddenly materialized at the right time. If anyone could handle this situation, it was him and she was just going to depend on him for that.

"What's going on?" Irene bristled, as the voice had come from right next to her. She turned only to end up meeting eyes with a pair of bespectacled ones.

"Section Commander," Irene said before remembering that she had been asked a question that wasn't exactly easy for her to answer, "…it's too much to explain," she responded, looking away from the scientist and beyond her where the Captain, Moblit and Mrs. Ackerman stood observing the scene.

"Why do you always have to be such a smartass, Erwin?" Nile sighed before speaking, "listen Erwin, there's no need to make things complicated."

"If you had followed the appropriate protocol then things wouldn't have to be so complicated now, would they?" Erwin asked before motioning towards Irene, "You can make things less complicated by telling me why you're arresting this soldier."

Being referred to as simply a 'soldier' by her own father definitely wasn't something Irene could exactly be thrilled about, but she understood the reason he decided to take a less familiar approach towards the situation.

"Like I said before, I'm not at liberty to disclose this information," Nile responded.

"Then I am under no obligation to hand over my soldier."

Nile sighed, now looking defeated. It seemed Erwin may have driven him to a point where he had given up arguing. He then spoke, "Since you're so eager to find out, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that your daughter is suspected to be an affiliate of man's current enemy, the titans."

Erwin's eyes narrowed at this, "That's a bold claim. Elaborate."

"Your daughter…" Nile hesitated, "…your daughter can speak to titans."

Irene tensed up the moment Nile spoke. The secret she had been hoping to keep between herself and Junior had become known to the Military Police and now some of the other Scouts, the people she had hoped would never find out about it.

Anxiety started to build within her and the fact that she could sense all eyes on her wasn't making things any better. With what little courage she had mustered, she turned to face the other Scouts. Apart from the look of pure concern thrown at her by Junior, and the curious expression worn by Hange, everyone else was confused, regardless of how well they masked their expressions.

"Nile, what are you talking about?" Erwin asked, returning to the main conversation.

"I'm talking about the fact that daughter dearest over there can talk to the damn beasts," Nile responded, his former confidence returning as it appeared he was starting to gain the upper hand in the situation.

"Hange, do you have input on the matter?" Erwin asked without turning back to her.

"On all the occasions that I'd left Fort Maria for observation, I would see the titans exhibiting numerous traits. However, I had never seen any of them exhibit the ability to communicate. Not even with each other. All they did was just walk around searching for their next meal, not even acknowledging their environment," Hange responded, crossing her arms and cupping her chin with her right hand, "hearing that someone, in this case Irene, is able to communicate with them is baffling. It honestly makes no sense at all, but then again…"

"Then again, what, Hange?" Levi cut her off, looking extremely skeptical and somewhat uncomfortable, "You and I—on many occasions—both saw that those things clearly lacked the ability to think. What on earth could you mean by 'then again?"

"Hold on, hear me out. We've only really observed the titans on the outskirts of the city. For all we know, those in the centre could be different, they could be more intelligent," Hange started, her glasses getting that glint they did whenever she started getting ideas, "I mean, think about these strange titans. The Colossal one that created a hole in Fort Maria, or the strange titan you fought the other day. There's a high possibility that they could possess the ability to communicate—or perhaps control the other titans."

"Aha!" she said, slamming her right fist on her left palm, "there was that rumbling noise before the titans appeared in the fort…and even that roar that got all the titans charging for the centre. Both of those noises seemed to have triggered something in the titans. It all makes sense now"

One thing Irene had come to learn from the past year of training was that once the Section Commander started talking about titans, she would take ages to conclude, and now that she had started brainstorming, she wasn't going to end anytime soon unless the Captain or the Commander stopped her. Regardless, that still didn't make things any better for Irene. In fact, it actually made things worse.

"That's enough Hange," Erwin cut her off before continuing to engage Nile, "Regardless of whether or not she really can talk to titans, you still haven't provided me with a reason for her to be arrested."

"Erwin, the fact that she can speak to the titans makes her a threat to man-kind," Nile said, "for all we know, she could've been the one responsible for the titan attack that happened here a few days ago."

…_But it's all your fault._

Irene couldn't help but feel her animosity against the man rise once more as she had just remembered that it was his fault that she was in that situation. If it weren't for the fact that acting out would potentially get her arrested, she wouldn't have let him look that smug.

"Does that accusation come with any proof?"

"All your proof is right there," Nile responded, motioning towards Irene, "tell them Irene, am I lying?"

Irene tensed up once again as everyone else's stares somehow became more intense. Once again, Nile had made her life difficult. Right when she thought the tables had turned for the better, he just flipped them over again. From him being the one constantly questioned, Irene was the one currently receiving stares.

"Irene, is what Nile saying true?" Erwin asked, looking down at her with an interrogative expression. Irene tried by all means to find some comfort in his expression, but no signs of it were evident. As a matter of fact, she even started to feel uncomfortable near him, or even around everyone else. This wasn't an event she had anticipated occurring and never even allowed herself to think about it. She believed that if she had just forgotten about it and moved on with life, things would be alright. Things would just be normal.

With the arrival of the titans, came her having to finally reveal her little secret. She thought things would just stay between her, Junior and Doug, but nope. Now everyone else was about to find out about it. The big question was what was she going to say?

"Irene, is what he is saying true?" she heard her father's voice again, snapping her back into reality.

She felt her lips twitch as she struggled to open her mouth. The moment she opened her mouth, she knew that no one would see her the same way again. Not her friends, not even her own family, and that was an idea that was extremely hard for her to stomach. It was a harsh reality to face, but she just had to deal with it. Her life was going to change and there was nothing she could do but accept it.

"Irene," Erwin started to grow impatient.

"…I-I…" she started but stopped. She started to rehearse the words in her mind but every time she wanted to speak, her lips remained glued to each other, and even when her mouth did open, all that escaped was the exhaled air, turning into a small clouds of vapor.

"Come on Irene," Nile spoke, wearing a much more confident expression as his anticipated moment of triumph approached. All it took for him to have his way was for her to admit it, "tell them the truth."

Among all the stares she received from the other Scouts, she managed to lock eyes with Junior, who now wore a defeated expression. Even he must've realized that there was nothing that could be done to prevent this.

Nile groaned in what seemed to be frustration before asking, "why aren't you answering the question?"

"Because she doesn't have to," a familiar voice spoke, prompting everyone to turn to the direction it came from.

The moment she turned, her eyes landed on a good number of men dressed in brown and in the front was the Garrison Commander Dot Pixis, his two attendants standing at his side, along with several armed Garrisons at the back.

Pixis shifted his heavy eyes towards Erwin before speaking, "I received your message Commander, and I must say…" he started before looking at Nile, "This is, indeed, a rather peculiar situation. Commander Dawk, I'd like to know why you decided to make such an impromptu visit?"

Irene felt two things at that moment. Relieved that hope for the situation to become better had come again, and amazed because her father apparently contacted the Garrisons in advance. Even wasn't exactly sure of what was going on, he was still a step ahead of everyone.

Nile sighed, probably because he was being asked to explain the situation once again, "Commander Pixis. I, along with my men, am here to carry out the arrest of Irene Smith."

"And why is that?"

"Irene Smith has the ability to commune with man's current greatest enemy, the titans," Nile explained, "having an ability like that makes Irene a potential threat to man-kind, and because of that, she must be contained."

"Contained?" Pixis echoed, wearing a somewhat offended expression, "you do realize that this is a human being we are talking about, right?"

After a brief moment of silence, Pixis clicked his tongue before speaking, "Nile, you're carrying out an arrest on Fort Rose's soils without so much as informing myself or any of the Garrison officers. That is a violation of military protocol and if this were to come to the attention of Premier Zackly, you and your Military Police would face serious issues," he said, eliciting an expression of nervousness from Nile, "Aside from that, you clearly have no proof to support the claim you've made against Irene Smith. Therefore, I cannot allow you to make this arrest."

"These were orders from Fort Sina, you can't just disregard them like that," Nile said.

"As you, and everyone else can see, Nile, we are not in Fort Sina. We are in Fort Rose, and thus your orders, which have not been made official by Fort Rose's government, are invalidated" he started, "because of this, all courses of action you decide to make on these soils have to be under supervision of the Garrison Regiment," he continued before concluding, "so in short, my fort, my rules."

The words spoken by Pixis clearly had done a great job of putting Nile in his place judging by the exasperated look on his face. Pixis couldn't have stepped in at a better time.

"However…" Pixis started before turning to look at Irene, scrutiny evident in his lazy eyes, "I highly doubt Fort Sina would send the Military Police here for no reason…"

_Right. Of Course._

Of course it was too good to be true. There was no way Commander Pixis stepping in would just magically fix everything. She could still speak to titans and was still, apparently, a threat to man-kind itself, and now that people were starting to find out, things definitely weren't going to get easier for her. As a matter of fact, she could only imagine that they would get worse.

"Therefore, I have decided that Irene Smith will be taken under the custody of the Garrisons until the situation can be handled appropriately," Pixis declared.

_Yep, definitely worse._

"Anka," Pixis said, prompting his attendant to step forwards holding a pair of handcuffs.

"Bring your hands forward," the woman said.

Irene couldn't help but stare at the metal cuffs in front of her. The same metal cuffs that were used to restrain criminals. Did that make her a criminal? The fact that she had an unusual ability? Was she a criminal because she had an unusual ability she didn't even ask for? Did all of this make her a threat to humanity?

_No._

Irene shook her head. There was no way she was a criminal. She had chosen to dedicate herself to joining the fight against the titans even though she had the ability way before they invaded Paradis. From that time, till date, she had never turned against man. As a matter of fact, she did her best to fight for it. There was no reason for her to be arrested when he hadn't done anything wrong. It just didn't make any sense. Surely everyone would be able to realize that, especially her father. If he could just work his magic, the whole situation could be changed for the better.

With a renewed sense of hope, Irene turned to her father, praying that he would understand the situation and just turn things in his favor, but alas, all her hope went down the drain when she met her father's face. It wasn't as concerned and determined as she hoped it would be. As a matter of fact, it was apathetic. All she got in return for her look was an indifferent one.

"Irene, do as she says."

A wave of emotions coursed through Irene's body the moment those words left Erwin's mouth, the most prominent being hurt and betrayal. Did her father really see her the same way Nile, and possibly everyone else, did? Did he no longer see her as his daughter?

Irene felt her eyes start to sting as a heavy feeling fell onto her chest.

_No. Don't do it!_

She clenched her jaw before letting out an exhale. If that was how things were going to be, then she was just going to accept it. One of her biggest fears had come to pass. Everyone, including her own father, was going to see her differently from now on and there was nothing she could do about it. The damage had already been done. Her happy little world had met its bitter end.

After a brief moment of gathering her thoughts, Irene sighed and walked towards where Anka stood and turned to allow the woman to handcuff her.

"Well, ladies and Gentlemen, I believe everything that needed to be addressed here has already been addressed. Like I said, this issue needs to be handled appropriately and that is what is going to happen," Pixis started before turning to Erwin, "Commander Erwin, I hope you won't mind if the Military Police occupied the vacant spaces on your base."

"Not at all," Erwin responded.

Pixis nodded, "Well then. We will be taking our leave. Have a goodnight everyone," he said before turning around and walking off, the Garrisons following behind.

Irene took one final moment to look at the Scouts before turning around and following Anka.

From there, Irene was brought to one of the Garrison Stations and put into a dark room. It was only then, in the darkness, that she had allowed herself to break down, to let the tears pour from her eyes as she silently sobbed to herself. She sobbed for a long time. A long enough time that she passed out from the exhaustion.

* * *

Irene brought her hand to her face and stopped the tears from escaping. The memories of what had happened had all come back to her. She must've dismissed it as a dream the moment she woke up, but now that she was in a cell, her wrists bound by handcuffs, and she realized that everything that had happened was in fact very real.

She groaned as she felt the stinging sensation around her wrists once again. They could've at least had the decency to remove the cuffs while she was in her cell. Still, she didn't really deserve that courtesy did she?

_I wonder how mom's doing?_

Irene's eyes widened in slight shock at the random thought. All the drama must've made her mom come to mind. Well, considering the fact that her father had just let her get arrested, who else could she think about when she was in need of comfort? Regardless of how much Irene wasn't in support of some of her mother's choices like Nile, Marie was still her mother and they loved each other to bits.

Irene could only wonder what her mother was doing. She had no watch so she couldn't tell what time it was, but she could only assume that it was early morning because she didn't feel like she had slept much. Her mother was probably still asleep or maybe she had gotten up early to try and use one of those ridiculous work out routines she always tried to adopt.

Irene smiled at the memory of her mother going out of her way to find some hard workout routine only to give up a few days later because she thought it was too hard. Heck, she even missed those moments they'd spend together chatting, secretly making fun of Nile and doing other various activities like making dinner.

Did her mother know about this too? Regardless of it all, the thought of her mom lifted her mood. She would really love to see her again some time.

The sound of the door knob clicking snapped Irene back into reality as her eyes went to land on the shifting knob. A few seconds later, a red-haired Garrison stepped into the room, "Irene Smith, right?"

"Ye… yeah," she said, feeling a bit embarrassed by how her groggy voice sounded.

"You have some visitors."

**And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Chapter 24. **

**I must say that this was an interesting chapter for me to write because it helped me explore Irene's character a little more. I'll admit that in the beginning, I had only some ideas of how I wanted my OCs to act, and slowly I've been making progress in molding their characters. We're getting to see Junior getting more courageous, Doug becoming less and less of a gag and in this chapter we got to be inside Irene's head while all this drama was happening.**

**It took me a bit of a while to write and I'm finally done. Thanks for reaching this far and I'd love to hear what you guys thought of everything. From the confrontation with Nile to the moment Irene got arrested. I'd love to hear all your joys, woes, critique, everything. Please feel free to tell me what you think. I'd appreciate that, especially critique as I know it will help me better my writing.**

**Another thing. I've noticed that I have t really gotten much feedback from the last time I updated. I'm curious to know if you guys are still interested.**

**Oh well, I believe I've said enough. Bye!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey there readers. Welcome back to another of HSF. Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it and like I said, it's very helpful. Oh and welcome to all those that have just joined HSF's tiny fanbase( I dunno if I can call it that). I'm glad to see more people are taking interest, and I hope to see you stick around.**

** So like the last few chapters, the majority of my author's note will at the bottom of the chapter so without further ado…**

"You have some visitors."

"Visitors?" Irene repeated, wondering who could possibly be here for her this time. "Who are they?"

"I don't know. I was just told to come get you," he shrugged, "now come on."

"Sure," she sighed before getting off the bed and onto her feet, not without a struggle to balance as her body still seemed to be waking up.

When she felt her body was fit enough, she walked towards and out the door, immediately squinting as the light entered her eyes. As her eyes were adjusting, the Garrison was locking the door, and when she was able to look around, she took note of the fact that she was in some sort of hallway with several other doors.

The man then turned to face her and kept his brown eyes focused on her before snorting, "you sure don't look like a titan to me?"

_Yeah? no kidding._

Irene sighed as her mood started to lower once again. Not only had word of her abilities spread, but it seemed the information had already started to get twisted up into different stories. So apparently there were people that even thought that she was a titan. She then looked up at the man, "you said I had visitors right?"

"Yeah," he said before turning around and walking down the halls.

Taking that as her cue, she followed him down the halls. As she walked, she allowed herself to take a closer look at her environment. There were quite a number of Garrisons walking around the place, so she must have been at one of their stations.

They took a right turn and started walking down a hall where several cells seemed to be located. For a moment, she wondered if there was anyone housed within them and she soon got her answer. There were men, women, and even teenagers locked within the cells. Some of them had the cliché criminal look with the sharpening of knives, tattoos, cigars, and the like while others looked harmless, simply staring at them as they passed.

Just as soon as they had entered the hallway, they had left it and turned down another hall. A few more steps later, the Garrison stopped in front of the door and turned to face her, "alright, your guests are in here, and... what are you staring at me for?"

Irene's only response was to raise her cuffed hands and glance between the doorknob, her wrists, and the man, hoping he would understand what she was trying to say.

"Huh, oh right," he said before opening the door, "you can go in now."

"Thanks," she responded before taking in a deep breath, so as to brace herself for whoever was waiting for her on the inside. She hadn't realized how nervous she was feeling until then.

After a few seconds of mental preparation, Irene stepped into the room, her mind already running through countless possibilities of who could possibly be visiting her at this time. Well, whoever they were, she had to be careful not to give them too much information or even show that she was scared or else they could take advantage of her. She just had to give them that Smith poker face. Yeah, that would be the best tactic to use against anyone.

"Dad?" Irene froze in her tracks as she just realized who was in the room. Seated at one end of the table was none other than her own father, his blue eyes fixed on her as he rested his elbows on the table, covering his mouth with his joint hands. Right next to him was Hange, who Irene could tell was equally focused on her despite the fact that her eyes were concealed by the reflected light on her glasses. In her hands was what appeared to be a notebook. And to complete the trio, the Captain stood not too far away from them, leaning against the wall as he equally had his eyes focused on her with his usual blank stare.

"Take a seat, Irene," was the response Erwin gave her, prompting her to immediately take notice of the chair in front of her and walk forwards to take a seat.

The room was awfully quiet. So quiet that Irene found herself growing even more uncomfortable than she was when she was in that little room she woke up in. Suddenly, being around her father didn't feel as welcoming as she thought it would be, not when she was receiving those intense stares.

"Care to explain yourself?" Erwin asked, as straight to the point as ever.

_Well I don't feel as bad as I did yesterday dad, thanks for asking._

As much as she felt it, Irene kept the sarcasm at bay as she was most definitely not in a position to be that way. After keeping such a big secret from everybody, she shouldn't be surprised that she was being interrogated. She then sighed before asking, "what exactly should I explain?"

"Not too much," he said before moving his hands from his mouth and into the table, "just give us a summary of what Nile was talking about last night."

"Oh, right," she said before looking down at the wooden table. She hadn't expected to be in this position, and now that she was, she had just realized that explaining her situation wasn't exactly something as simple as 1,2,3. All the memories that she had wanted to keep buried away suddenly started to flood her mind, sending a wave of emotions coursing throughout her body.

_Keep it together, Irene. Come on._

She had been asked a question, and was expected to give an answer not to break down. Despite her attempts to calm herself down, the memories still kept on coming back to her, plus the stinging handcuffs weren't making things any easier.

"It must be too much to explain all at once," Hange said, obviously aware of the fact that Irene was at the brink of having a mental breakdown. She then adjusted her glasses before wearing a more approachable expression, "okay then. Why don't we do this one step at a time. Sound fine?" she asked to which Irene nodded, "great. So the first thing I'm going to ask is if Nile was telling the truth. Are you really able to speak to titans?"

"Yes," Irene nodded. That was definitely easier for her to answer.

"Great," Hange responded before writing something down on her notepad, "could you explain more on that for us? Like tell us more about this ability of yours, like what it is that you can do."

"…Well, it's like he said," Irene started, taking a moment to glance at everyone in the room before deciding to settle for looking at her wrists, "I can talk to titans. I can hear them and I guess they can hear me."

"You can hear them?" Hange asked, eyes open in amazement. Irene was sure that the woman was clearly getting very excited judging by the expression on her face. She then leaned in, "well, what do they say?"

"Well…" Irene started, shifting her eyes to their new comfort zone on her wrist before continuing, "well they normally just say almost the same thing."

"Which is?"

"They're usually just pleas for help," she started, trying her best to find a way to explain the situation without it saddening herself even further. As fascinating as her abilities may have seemed, hearing voices whenever she was around the titans wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, and explaining it wasn't any better, "you see, it's like they're asking for help. I can hear them crying and stuff but that's just about it. It's always the same story."

"Pleas for help? Crying? Stuff?" Hange responded as she jotted down what was said. She then looked back at Irene, "What do they even sound like? Is it just roars that you can somehow understand or you can actually hear like regular voices speaking in a human language? What exactly are they even asking for help from? Have you ever had a conversation with one of them? If so, what do you even say to them? Do you roar too or do you speak English to them?"

"Slow down four eyes. Your asking more questions than she can answer," Captain Levi said from his position, "your words are pouring out like shit after a bad meal."

"Leave it to you and your toilet humor so early in the morning," Hange sighed.

"Hey, you dragged me all the way out of the warmth of my bed to be here so I can joke however the fuck I want."

"Oh don't whine missing your beauty sleep Levi," Hange started before throwing him a smirk, "it's not like it's ever worked anyway."

"Ever looked in the mirror Shitty Glasses?"

"That's enough, you two. I understand that you're both so tired from yesterday's activities inclusive of that assignment I gave you," Erwin said, somehow not showing any signs of exhaustion considering that he, too was active the previous night. Well that was Erwin Smith for you; always looking his best no matter the situation, "I apologize for interrupting your sleep—or in Hange's case, reasearch. However, I still expect the both of you to be professional even at this time," he finished, having successfully defused the potential altercation between the two officers.

He then turned to face Irene again, prompting her to retreat to looking at her wrists once again, "as much as we have so many questions to ask, we must remember that we weren't given a generous amount of time to hold a proper interrogation. What we came here for was to find out the general information. We'll look into details another time."

"Fine, fine" Hange dismisses with a wave of her hand before leaning in again, "that roar that made the titans rush towards the centre. Was it you?"

"No," Irene shook her head without looking at them, "it wasn't me, but…"

"But what?"

"Remember Hange, the details are for when we have more time."

"Aww come on Erwin, we…"

As Hange continued to explain whatever it was she was explaining to Erwin, Irene took advantage of the moment to calm down. She didn't know why, but looking at her wrists definitely did her nerves better than being around her own father, despite the fact that they were still aching.

"What do you keep looking at?" she heard the deep voice from beside her, immediately identifying it as Levi's and when she looked to her right, he was standing right next to her.

Before she could respond, he beat her to it, "you'd expect officers,of all people, to know how to use handcuffs" he criticized before bringing his hand out from his pocket, "give me your hands."

"Here," Irene responded before raising her wrists towards him.

He stared at the handcuffs for a few seconds before raising leg and reaching into his boot, pulling out some small, sharp object . He then got to work fiddling with the locks on the cuffs until they fell off her wrists, relieving her of the stinging sensation, but not without revealing another detail about herself she hadn't made known.

"Is that titan steam?" Hange loudly asked as everyone's eyes were fixated on her wrists that were indeed steaming and even healing, "wait, are you healing?"

Irene definitely didn't know how to answer her. Not only had they found out that she could speak to titans, but now they had found out that she could release steam and heal like them. Judging by the looks on their faces, she could only imagine what was going through their minds. Heck, even the captain had taken a step back. At this point, she didn't even know where to start from.

"Irene…" Erwin started, cutting Hange off. Irene could tell there was a lot going on behind that calm mask he wore. Heck even the way his voice had suddenly gotten lower gave his emotions away. Which ones, she wasn't sure, but she knew he wasn't exactly in a chipper mood, "…how much have you hidden from me?"

The atmosphere of the room became awfully heavy. Hange had suddenly gone silent and Levi had clearly risen his guard around her, but the thing that unnerved her the most was the way her father addressed her. It was in his calm tone, yes, but it was so calm it was actually unnerving. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she could tell he wasn't happy.

"Irene…"

"I…" she started, her mind already starting to go through the memories once again.

"_Why are you letting them do this to me?"_

"_Irene, listen I… there's nothing I can do."_

"_So you're just going to keep on watching all this happen."_

"_Look, I've tried Irene. I've tried, but they just won't listen."_

"_Are you sure you really tried?"_

"_Irene look, I swear I tried. I really did, heck they even started threatening to… they just didn't want to listen."_

"_You know what, I don't care if you've tried. Just please… I want my dad."_

"…_Irene. Okay I'll… I'll try and get ahold of him."_

"Irene." Irene heard Erwin call out to her, and when she looked back at him, his expression was the same, unchanged serious one he wore before. It was like when she looked to him for help against getting arrested and he didn't even move to help her out. Here she was in need to comfort and he clearly wasn't fazed.

"D-Dad I…" she started, ignoring the fact that tears had started streaming down her face. She hadn't intended on crying in front of everyone, but how could she not? Especially when so many of those memories started flooding her mind even more.

"_Okay little Irene. You should go in there now."_

"…_But what if it eats me?"_

"_Now, now Irene. Remember that we had discussed what you needed to do to make it not eat you. You'll be fine."_

"_B-But I'm scared."_

"_Tch, listen. Quit being such a brat and just go in there. You're wasting our time!"_

"_No, please no!"_

"Irene, listen to me," Erwin started, snapping her out of her thoughts and into giving him her attention. He then continued, "Like I said, we were not given a lot of time to see you, so we came here to find out about this whole Titan ordeal from you," he continued, pausing for a bit before saying, "not to deal with any emotional breakdowns."

_Right of course._

Irene sniffled for a moment before clearing her throat, "I'm sorry da...Commander," she started, trying to put on a calmer expression. She then spoke in a wavering voice, "it's just that Nile... everything. Everything is just too hard for me to explain right now. With what happened yesterday, I'm just exhausted and I need some time to... to gather my thoughts."

Knock! Knock! Knock! The sound of loud banging against the door caught everyone's attention.

"Time's up," a voice from the other side of the door went.

"That's fine then," Erwin gave an understanding nod before continuing, "I expect you to have composed yourself by tonight because we're going to attend to some serious business."

As much as Irene wanted to question further, she decided against it because of not only due to the fact that the soldier was knocking again, but because she knew that he would have mentioned it if he had to. So instead of asking what business he was referring to, she simply nodded, "understood."

"Believe me, Irene. I want to continue talking to you, but the time we were given to see you has completely elapsed." he said before looking over at Levi, "Levi, put the cuffs back on her before they get any unnecessary ideas."

"Alright," he said before stepping towards Irene and holding out the hand cuffs, "hold out your hands."

Irene let Levi fasten the handcuffs around her newly healed wrists, and luckily this time they weren't too tight on her, "thanks Captain."

"No problem," he nodded.

The door opened revealing the Garrison who had brought her in. He looked casual for a moment before his eyes widened, probably because he realized who was in the room. He then firmly saluted, "sorry for walking in unannounced. I was just told to tell the people in this room that it was time up. I had no idea it was you in here, I can just go out and wait."

"At ease soldier," Erwin dismissed, "we are actually done in here, so it's fine."

"Of course," the man said before relaxing his stance. He then looked at Irene, "let's go."

"Okay," Irene responded before walking towards the soldier, halting only for a moment to glancing back into the room before walking out the door.

* * *

"Erwin," Levi started as soon as the doors were closed.

"Levi?" Erwin responded, quirking his eyebrow.

"Don't play dumb with me, Erwin," Levi started, scowling at the taller man, "you know what I'm about to talk about."

"Levi, so much has happened in just this short time," Erwin started, "you can't expect me to know what you're talking about."

"Tch, I'm talking about Irene, dumbass."

"What about Irene?"

"What about Irene?" Levi echoed before continuing, "Erwin, your daughter nearly broke down some minutes ago because she's probably experienced some hard shit, and you just tell her to suck it up?"

"...Is there a problem?" Erwin asked.

"Erwin, from what you, me, and four eyes could see, Irene is obviously very stressed, hurt and at the brink of breaking down because she has probably seen some traumatizing shit in the past," Levi started, " the least you could do was I dunno... comfort her."

"Comfort her?" Erwin asked, now wearing an indifferent expression before asking, "what was I supposed to do, give her a hug?"

"It's definitely better than ordering her to deal with something she's clearly struggling to deal with."

"Levi, we came here on to find out more on the matter, not to deal with emotional breakdowns" Erwin started, "one of my soldiers has been accused of being a threat to humanity, and it is our duty, as her commanding officers, to defend her."

"That soldier is your daughter, Erwin," Levi responded, hoping that he would get through to the commander's hard head, "and you're not only her commanding officer, but also her father, and it's your job to make sure she feels safe."

"I don't think you're in a position to tell me what my job is, Levi," Erwin said in the tone he often used to intimidate others, "like you said, Irene is my daughter, and I'm pretty sure I know how to take care of her."

No matter how intimidating Erwin tried to get, Levi was not fazed. Instead, he was just getting slightly irritated by the man's coldness. As a parent, himself, he personally found it hard to ignore a child in need of care, and seeing Erwin just brush off her feelings like that... it annoyed him. No child's feelings needed to be pushed aside like that. Not even Junior's.

Levi then exhaled. Regardless of how much he wanted to criticize Erwin, the fact was that Irene was his daughter, and like he said, he knew how to take care of her. It wasn't exactly his place to tell him what to do with his own child.

And just like that, everyone had gone silent. Hange was simply mumbling to herself as she looked through her notepad while Erwin quietly paced around, probably thinking about whatever it was that he thought about.

As though he had sensed that Levi's mood certainly wasn't improving, Erwin stopped in his tracks and sighed, "If I'm being honest with you, Levi, I, too, was not happy to see her look so sad. As her father, it hurts me to know that she had probably experienced something traumatic in the past while I was out, keeping my mind focused on nothing but the military . I actually feel somewhat guilty for letting something like that happen to her," he explained, now wearing a somewhat solemn expression, his features softened and eyes looking downwards.

However, his expression then left as soon as it came, being replaced by one that was akin to distaste, "I'm actually very disappointed that Marie never even bothered to mention this to me. Though, what angers me the most is that Nile definitely had something to do with it."

Erwin, like Levi, was not a person who could be described as emotional. Seeing him like this managed to convince Levi that Erwin was, in fact, concerned about his daughter. Perhaps Levi was too quick to judge him. After all, it wasn't like he was father of the year, himself, he had his own screw-ups here and there with his kids. He was just going to let Erwin be Erwin.

"So what now?" Levi asked, now wondering what the Commander's next move would be considering that they had gotten the information they had come for, "what are we going to do about the whole Irene, Titan issue."

Erwin cleared his throat before regaining his stoic composure, "Commander Pixis said that he would inform Premier Zackly of the situation later on after dawn," Erwin started, "that means that he would most likely arrive in the evening."

"Well what does this have to do with anything?"

"Premier Zackly getting involved simply means that Irene could end up going to court martial-or at least something similar," Erwin explained, his eyes locked on the now empty seat Irene sat on only moments ago. His gaze was so focused that it looked like he was actually looking at someone on the chair, "you and I both know that Nile is going to try by all means to have his way, and that's what we need to avoid."

"And how would we do that?"

"It's simple," Erwin started, shifting his gaze to meet Levi's, "all we have to do is convince them that Irene's abilities could actually be used for the betterment of mankind instead of pose a threat."

Levi quirked his eyebrow as a response, so as to urge him to explain further.

"Trust me Levi. This is a gamble, but it could work," he started, now wearing the expression he always wore when he had something figured out, "All I need is some time to properly organize things and we'll be set." He then looked at his watch, "alright then. I believe the Scouts should be waking up any time soon. As you carry out whatever plans you have for today, make sure to inform them that they should be in full uniform tonight."

"Oh yeah, and where will you be while I'm doing that?"

"I'll be in my office preparing," he responded now wearing the same determined look he wore in front of the strategy board, "I'm not going to let Nile take anything else from me again."

**Another short Chapter mostly in Irene's Point of View. It took a little time, but now it's done and I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Again, I enjoyed exploring Irene's character even more and I hope you're enjoying getting to know her too. She initially started out as a character who I felt wasn't exactly… constant, but now I've looked more into it and I think I've done an okay job in introducing you guys to her thoughts. I don't know, only you can tell me.**

**Anyways, I don't think I can say much other than thank you so much for reading. All your woes, your joys and even your criticisms will be highly appreciated as it does help me better my writing so please feel free to express yourselves. I'm all ears.**

**Alright then. See you next time.**


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